Just the other day, my husband said these words, "I'm going to have the internet cut off for a month so we can communicate."
Ouch.
The truth hurts.
He and I are both to blame and each of us freely admits it. He grabs his ipad and keeps up with sports, news, etc., while I am "twittering" and "updating" away on all things social media, plus trying to blog. What feels like just a few minutes is really an hour and what I say is a ministry quickly becomes about me and my stat page ("Oh look, someone from Bahrain visited me...where is that? Let me go see.").
Again, the truth hurts.
So what are we, as a couple, to do?!
Simply put, we are putting our devices down, closing them up, and/or turning them off when necessary. Whatever it takes, it's what we have to do.
For me it means a simple schedule change, and it also means that I must be very, very disciplined about staying off of the "blogging hamster wheel". For those of you who don't blog, I must tell you that at times, it becomes vicious. There are all kinds of people out there trying to "help" bloggers gain new followers, write the best content, put in the right key words to get picked up by search engines, write the best phrases to "market" blogs to audiences...oh, the list could go on and on. Now, I have read a lot of this stuff and have tried a tip or two from time to time. It works.
But...
It also can make a blogger a slave.
It has made me a slave.
I have become just like the little hamster "exercising" on it's wheel, running as fast as I can trying to do all kinds of things "just right" and getting nowhere.
And I've had to come back to the very REASON I started blogging.
To encourage and inspire others in their walk of faith through the written word.
That's it.
But somehow along the way, the enemy twisted my brain cells into thinking that in order to be heard...
I had to be popular. And in order to be popular, I had to run myself ragged trying to be something I'm not.
(I hate him.)
The truth is, in order to be heard, I must trust in the voice of my Father. Period. I write when He says to write. I don't when He says don't. He's my scheduler, not the "blog helpers".
I have been awesomely blessed with three gorgeous girls and one amazing husband that need my focused, undivided attention. The Lord has given me charge over a fruitful ministry right here, right where I am and at times, it has even gone on the back burner so that I could write a post because so-and-so expert said I must or I will loose followers.
Shame on me for listening to the wrong voices.
So, that's it, I have reevaluated and decided...I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. However, you can trust that in the future, I am here with my priorities in order, much more in order than they were.
And if I don't write a post for a week or if I write three posts in a week, please know that it is precisely what I need to do...not because some expert says, but because it's what The Expert has put on my heart.
This blog is meant For His Glory and not my own.
So, I'm stepping off the hamster wheel...right now.
Very Humbly,
Ouch.
The truth hurts.
He and I are both to blame and each of us freely admits it. He grabs his ipad and keeps up with sports, news, etc., while I am "twittering" and "updating" away on all things social media, plus trying to blog. What feels like just a few minutes is really an hour and what I say is a ministry quickly becomes about me and my stat page ("Oh look, someone from Bahrain visited me...where is that? Let me go see.").
Again, the truth hurts.
So what are we, as a couple, to do?!
Simply put, we are putting our devices down, closing them up, and/or turning them off when necessary. Whatever it takes, it's what we have to do.
For me it means a simple schedule change, and it also means that I must be very, very disciplined about staying off of the "blogging hamster wheel". For those of you who don't blog, I must tell you that at times, it becomes vicious. There are all kinds of people out there trying to "help" bloggers gain new followers, write the best content, put in the right key words to get picked up by search engines, write the best phrases to "market" blogs to audiences...oh, the list could go on and on. Now, I have read a lot of this stuff and have tried a tip or two from time to time. It works.
But...
It also can make a blogger a slave.
It has made me a slave.
I have become just like the little hamster "exercising" on it's wheel, running as fast as I can trying to do all kinds of things "just right" and getting nowhere.
And I've had to come back to the very REASON I started blogging.
To encourage and inspire others in their walk of faith through the written word.
That's it.
But somehow along the way, the enemy twisted my brain cells into thinking that in order to be heard...
I had to be popular. And in order to be popular, I had to run myself ragged trying to be something I'm not.
(I hate him.)
The truth is, in order to be heard, I must trust in the voice of my Father. Period. I write when He says to write. I don't when He says don't. He's my scheduler, not the "blog helpers".
I have been awesomely blessed with three gorgeous girls and one amazing husband that need my focused, undivided attention. The Lord has given me charge over a fruitful ministry right here, right where I am and at times, it has even gone on the back burner so that I could write a post because so-and-so expert said I must or I will loose followers.
Shame on me for listening to the wrong voices.
So, that's it, I have reevaluated and decided...I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. However, you can trust that in the future, I am here with my priorities in order, much more in order than they were.
And if I don't write a post for a week or if I write three posts in a week, please know that it is precisely what I need to do...not because some expert says, but because it's what The Expert has put on my heart.
This blog is meant For His Glory and not my own.
So, I'm stepping off the hamster wheel...right now.
Linking up at:
Very Humbly,
