Blogging about blogging

 

There are few things that set human beings apart from animals: being able to communicate complex thoughts through speech and writing is one of them.


It's a gift we have, a gift to be able to dig deep into our souls and express the innermost thoughts of our minds in a series of sounds and images that makes perfect sense to other human beings: not just of our generation but for many generations to come.


This longing to express, to be heard, to be understood, to hear back from those who connected with you and to be able to influence someone else for their good is wired deep down into all our human hearts.


But since the lockdown, there has been an explosion on content on the internet: from rants to memes, from blogs to vlogs, from hashtags to twitter storms: everyone who has the ability to speak/write/sing/dance about anything is out there, belting it out for all to see.


And in this context, the day-dreaming writer in me really began questioning whether there was really any point in adding to the cacophony? Would it really matter if I didn't say what was being laid on my heart to say?


In an answer from my heavenly Father, a sister posted a message from another sister explaining how ONE person's life changed in such a critical way because of what she had posted. She went onto urge others to go ahead and say what had to be said, because even if one person was blessed by it, it was certainly worth it.


And that got me seriously considering all the what-ifs and what-alls of blogging. So 12 weeks and 11 posts later, this is what I have learnt:




  1. When you try to do something you have never ever done before and have no idea how to do, you become child-like: vulnerable, open, willing to humble yourself in front of others, willing to risk, basically: you become fully alive to the present moment.

  1. No matter what your skills sets are, it's very helpful to talk to others who have gone down this route before and have loads of tips to start you off.  

  2. Even great writers need editors. As a beginner, I'm blessed to have awesome friends who point out loopholes, ask critical questions, give helpful feedback so I can fine tune the message.

  1. There is an online community out there for everything! We all need encouragers and encouragement. If you can't find a community, go, create one!

  1. Putting yourself, your stories, your innermost thoughts out there is risky. Especially if you can't be bothered with political correctness, you may lose friends fast. Count the cost. I counted the cost that my family would have to pay for my personal stories becoming public and decided to stay anonymous.

  2. How many people view/like your post is really a poor indicator of how effective your communication is when you are aiming for Godly impact not popularity. There is no indicator to assess what impact God can have through each post, and you've got to be OK with that.

  3. Everyone already is an influencer, the question is: who are you influencing and to what end? Having clarity about that gives your communication focus.

  4. There are posts I worked so hard on re-writing and editing and and there are posts that just came tumbling out faster than I could type. There's no formula to manufacture brilliance: you just have to get down to actually start writing and trust the Person who leads you through the process.

  5. I'm a better receiver than I am a writer. I love receiving surprises, gifts, hugs, encouraging words and my Father loves giving me memory flashbacks, ideas, images, 'random' songs that come up on my feed that have one sentence buried in the lyrics that says exactly what I'm trying to express. But to receive, I need to keep my hands and my heart open and available.

  6. Blogging works. Even busy people do read. Lives are touched. People write back feeling understood, encouraged and loved. Your life matters. Your pain has purpose. And God can use all that He's given you for many many others' benefit. 

     

    Is it YOU God is calling to cast your nets to the other side today?

    Can you trust Him and give an old dream or a well-worn out idea another shot?


I'm so grateful for my friends who pushed me to take this plunge and maybe just maybe, reading this now, God is asking YOU to do something to influence others that will have more eternal impact than anything I can write about.


"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31


Take your two pence of whatever you've got to offer the world and give it to all to Jesus. 

 

If you can't see the video, click here


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMG7js5nLEI









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