1,000 Followers Thank You | The Journey

I reached 1,000 followers on July 24th, 2018. There are a number of you I consider my “core”. You are the body of believers that I know I can reach out to, and I’m so thankful for you. You have helped me continue when I was not sure. Thank you.

And those of you who have joined me along the way, you show me it is important to keep reaching out because we do not know who needs encouragement or support, thank you.

A little over a year ago, when I started to turn my blog over to Christ, and get involved with the community, I reached my first 100 followers in July 2017.

In the past few years, I’ve started to finally believe that writing is a calling God has given me. Within the last year, I’ve seen how He is making this a ministry for me.

People have a lot of questions. I’m a stay at home wife and a writer. Many of those questions relate to money because, no, I’m not making any at this time.

But I see progress. I see growth. God has been teaching me what my worth truly is and where I am valuable. As much as I worry about finances, He is helping me focus on what is temporary and what is eternal. He has provided everything I’ve ever needed at this point, as He always has.

For this reason, I believe and will believe, He has called me to be a writer. I felt the calling when I was 13 years old. When I only wrote poetry. I wrote poems about issues Christians struggled with. My pastor, a wonderful shepherd, looked out for me and encouraged me to share with the congregation.

I never thought I could be a writer.

Truthfully.

Only a poet.

Since I was 13, I would have dreams about speaking to a congregation. Sometimes pleading, crying, and screaming at the congregation. For them to focus on the Lord. For them to realize how truly short time is. The urgency to know His truth, draw close to Him and worship Him.

It was not until I wanted to give back to the Lord, the end of my next to last semester in college (2012), I knew I wanted to write a story for Him based on something He gave me when I was only four years old.

Whatever crowns I had, if any, I wanted to give to Him, and place at His feet.

In the process, after writing my first two novels in preparation before working on book one, I knew in 2016 I needed to start a blog. A blog could be a portfolio of my writing, and it is. But more importantly, I can share everything that He has given me thus far.

I had to spend about seven months of blogging without a schedule, a goal, and sporadically post before I realized, I needed to work on consistency and doing this for God. Write for Him, not for others.

Related Post | Opening A Blurry Window

Related Post | New Year 2017 | Turn over to the Lord

Once this happened, He taught me a lot through the silence of not having comments and followers. When I tell people I only had about 36 followers, often less when I first started (I remember when I had 12) I mean it.

Good things often take time.

I’ve spoken to bloggers who progressed more quickly than they expected and it became a lot to them. There is a lot of temptation lurking in blogging as a Christian.

Numbers can easily pull us in and we can get distracted by it. Especially when we want to be successful by the world’s terms meaning money. I see people get pulled into directions they should not go.

Earlier this year I was getting pulled into the numbers and stats game. I was getting burnt out because I knew the more I posted, the more numbers I would get. It is nothing to be proud about. January and February of this year had my highest monthly views, and I was consumed by it in ways I should not have been.

I’m thankful God let me get burnt out. I’m thankful God let me feel like people were not as engaging with my blog.

Because the truth was, He helped me see what I needed to focus on.

And it wasn’t the numbers, but the people.

Conflict In Blogging

Since I started to blog, I’ve had a few run-ins with bloggers and commenters. There have been some confrontations I’ve had to do deal with. God has used all of these situations to humble me. He has reminded me about patience, and to be slow to anger even when people are not.

I can’t expect anything from anyone, that’s the truth.

We can’t expect things from others. All the more reason to be thankful and grateful when we receive support, kindness, and gentleness.

All the more reason, we have to be aware of ourselves when people are stumbling us up, whether they purposefully know it, or not.

Just because people misunderstand and get into their feelings, does not mean we have to. And it is an easy temptation to fall into.

I’ve certainly been there. I am learning. 🙂

The more God pushes me to discuss things that people will be challenged by, these situations will happen. I can’t run from it. I don’t want to. But I absolutely must be more careful on how I react and respond. Sometimes, it is hard to do this when it feels like no one is really listening to us. When it feels like all the other person wants to do is be justified by their own words.

But guess what, this is all part of it. That’s what I am realizing. We may not be able to persuade others. We may not be able to help or make a person understand where we are coming from. But we absolutely have control over our own responses. God reminds me that how I respond to someone, may not help that individual, but anyone else who is looking at what I am saying, how are they going to internalize my words.

Is what I am saying helpful to others? Is it a guide on how to be a seasoned Christian blogger and a follower of Christ? Or is it a way to show someone how to be emotional and one-sided? The conviction is there.

I know what it is like to be accused. I know what it is like to have people make assumptions about me, ones that are not true. I have to take those experiences and learn from them. Instead of becoming angry and potentially planting seeds of bitterness, I have to learn and am learning, what it means to speak in love even when it feels like I’m against a brick wall.

My calling since I was 13 is for believers. That may sound odd to others, but it is not to me. I’ve had debates, and yes, arguments about scripture and what the words on a page say than putting the focus ultimately on Christ. Legalism.

I’ve seen people become emotional/frustrated in their writing as a Christian blogger with no goal other to accuse others. Example.

I see people struggle with ways I’ve discussed we need to have a strong relationship with Christ before we make it about others. Church.

A calling from the Lord is directed at a need.

Believers need help. Believers need direction. Believers, all of us, we need conviction.

This is all part of my journey.

This is all for His glory.

Thanks for joining me.

For those who have not stumbled me, and that’s most of you, for those who have added to discussion (sometimes with gentle disagreement) I’m so thankful for all of you. 🙂

And for any who have stumbled me whether intentional or not, I’m thankful for you because I’m not perfect, and I have some growing to do. 🙂

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Monthly Scripture – (NIV) Galatians 6:17, “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”

*** Community Prayer Request | September ’18 – Join Me In Praying For Each Other And If You Have A Request To Add Let Me Know. 

Second Blog: Peeking Beneath

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