Taking My Own Advice

Ruth Williams

After my son was born, I wrote a short story with a title using a mathematical symbol, called The > Boy, that is, the "greater than or equal to" boy.

It was a parable intended to make my son aware that he is as good as anybody and actually better than those who don't treat people well. Greater than or equal to anyone in the world.

Recently, I wrote a Prayable about being yourself in a world that expects conformity, submitted it to the editor and saw that it was posted on the site.

A few days later, I wanted to show my son that I had mentioned him in a Prayable called "Sense of Purpose." He saw it and promptly didn't care, so I let him go back to his video game. As I was looking around the site, I realized that the Prayable about being yourself was no longer posted.

This caused me great agitation. Did the editors not like it? I consider the Prayables Team to be my "faith family" and all the emotions you might expect came into play. Was it not good enough? Maybe it was too personal?

I realized my concern was analogous to the subject matter of this particular Prayable. It's about the fact that we always tend to compare ourselves to others and draw the conclusion that we may not measure up.

Prayables.com is populated with wordsmiths I consider to be exceptional, and run by a lady who is a true gem in her own right, Sue Diamond. The Editor, Amanda Kunz, is warm and welcoming, and is a writer herself – you can tell merely by reading her Facebook postings. I think as writers, and as human beings, we want to be at least as good as our peers.

Then I saw my Prayable posted later that week on Facebook, and re-posted on the Prayables.com site, and I realized my anxiety was for nothing.

Or was it? It sure gave Someone a chance to remind me to walk the walk, and not just write it on paper.

Believe it. You are who you are, and no one else will ever be you. That doesn't mean you don't want to grow or improve yourself; it means, at the end of the day, you are valid. At the beginning of the day too. Embrace your foibles, love the quirky creation you are, and you'll be amazed at how much lighter you'll feel.

Whatever May Come

I'm getting the idea
you know what the heck You're doing.

You made me funny, fickle,
sometimes feral,
but You know I always
find my way back to center.

You gave me the quirks I possess,
like a penchant for pointless puns;
a black thumb unable to sustain even a ficus,
and a heart as wide as the sky.

Measuring myself against others who aren't me
is like saying I don't trust You.
My greatest idiosyncrasy
is that I've never met You,
but trust You with my life and all I hold dear.
Walk together with me, whatever may come.

-Ruth Williams

More Prayers by Ruth Williams
More About Ruth Williams