Why I Blog.
So…I’m blogging! I have run away from this for so long but when God speaks, you kinda have to listen. Truth is, blogging terrifies me. There are five love languages and mine is undeniably words of affirmation. People with this love language are the ones that are quick to give compliments and to gush about nice things that people do. But our need for (positive) feedback is probably a little higher than most.
My Hesitation.
I have seen blogs with great articles and zero feedback – and that always made me cringe and feel a little sad for the author. I had hence told God numerous times that I don’t think my personality type would survive blogging because if I wrote this long article and there isn’t even one single comment about it… gasp!! The horror! 🙂 But God just loves to get us out of our comfort zone, doesn’t He? In fact, it seems that the one thing we tell Him we cannot handle is the very thing He brings across our path!
Getting Warmer.
God called me aside one weekend and I drew away on a retreat by myself to seek Him. And when He said to me “I want you to blog”, I plugged my ears with my fingers, shook my head from side to side and went “lalalalalalalalalalala! I can’t hear you!” But try as I could, I couldn’t deny that I had heard His voice. But I said “Ok God, I will do it – but only if you confirm through some external party that this is indeed what You want me to do.” So I came back from my retreat and the next day, upon posting an encouraging message on Facebook, six different people said to me “Liz, you should start a blog”. And I was like, Ok, God, I think you have made your point.
Acceptance.
So here I am. Terrified. Nervous. Wondering if my emotions can survive blogging. But this isn’t about me; it’s about God and about obeying Him. So despite shaky knees and sweaty palms, I am choosing to set aside my fears and instead trust that God has a bigger purpose for my blog. I trust that He will use my blog to not only encourage people, but to draw men, women and children unto Himself. I surrender myself as a tool and a vessel He will use to accomplish this.
I have to admit though, that beneath the terror and the nerves, there lies an excitement. I love words. I love writing. I love God. And I love to share what I learn from/about Him. This blog will enable me to mesh all my passions in one literary display. Writing de-stresses me and gives me an outlet for my emotions – good or bad. I have written umpteen pieces over the last 20 years; pieces that have never seen the light of day: a half-finished novel, short stories, lots of poetry…. But Alas! God is finally putting an end to all my hiding.
What To Expect.
So what can you expect from this blog? Well, I’ll play around with different narratives. Some will be drawn from my own experiences, some from hypothetical situations, and some from what I see around my world and on Social media. Some of the posts will be short and concise. But with some I will indulge the ‘story-teller’ in me and take the long, scenic route before I get to my point. But hopefully -fingers crossed- I will keep you engaged to the very end.
You can expect me to be real. I will not hesitate to show my flaws but neither will I dilute the truth of God’s word to suit certain palettes. Any lesson I post is for me first, then for everyone else. I do not come to you from a place of perfection, but from a place of imperfection and acknowledgement that without Jesus I am nothing. I subscribe to the truths of Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But the great news is that if we choose to believe in Jesus and receive the sacrifice He made for us on Calvary’s cross, we will be made righteous.
My desire and prayer for the blog is that the main lesson (spiritual application) is what will stay in the hearts and minds of the audience – not really the stories and illustrations I weave into the narrative.
Journey With Me.
I request your assistance. If you read something that you think would encourage or benefit someone you know, please do forward the posting to them. My joy would be made complete because this is the sole purpose for this blog: to reach people with the good news of the gospel. The rest is just gravy.
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Blessings to you all. And thank you in advance, for your support :).