“The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good . . . for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
If you blog, for any reason, you’ve no doubt felt the pressure to make a success of it — you know, rack up those numbers, post third party ads, and start reaping a staggeringly generous residual income.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make money — we need it to live, after all — but when the central purpose of our endeavor is just that, we’re simply asking for frustration. Meme credit Carolyn Henderson
Everyone else, apparently, is doing this, and if you are not, there is a strong temptation to feel that you are a failure, and perhaps it’s not worth blogging after all.
Don’t stop.
There is more to blogging than making a residual income, and indeed, with millions of blogs in the digital stratosphere, most of them aren’t money makers. (And as blogging becomes more common, so also do online blogging schools, which purportedly teach others to make pots of money on the endeavor, the way that the “academicians” of the schools apparently did; but if blogging is so smoothly lucrative, why not just keep at it? Or, possibly, is it more profitable to “teach” than to “do”?)
We Value Money More Than We Do Persons
For a Christian, a seeker of truth who lives an honest life and has good things to show, blogging provides more than the opportunity to justify one’s existence by announcing (those staying home to raise children come to mind), “See! I make money too! I’m a worthwhile person!”
(There is too much emphasis, among Christians in corporately-controlled societies, to associate the ability to generate income with value as a human being. And while many families proudly point to being different because they are willing to make a go of it on one income, they falter when the one staying home operates mentally as a second-class citizen.)
Where Is the Voice of the Ordinary Person?
If you can write, and you have something to say, the value of blogging lies in this alone, because — for now at least, in nations that do lip service to freedom of speech — speaking one’s mind, sharing one’s skills, imparting analysis and commentary on everything from news to spirituality — is free, both monetarily and societally.
Where else can one do this?
Children are one of humanity’s most precious “resources,” and yet how little they are valued in the corporate world. Why, then, do we permit the corporate world to so strongly dictate our sense of values? Child of Eden, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed wall art home decor at Fulcrum Gallery, iCanvas, Prints.com, and more.
On TV? In the movies? — these arenas are well controlled by a small group of moneymakers, their subtle message of propaganda shaping the mores, the opinions, and the thoughts of millions who stare, glassy-eyed, at the screen in front of them.
On the news? One of the most powerful, and despised, results of blogging was its ability to question the pronouncements so blithely made on the nightly news. Increasingly, alternative news is, literally, an alternative (but beware — when anything gets big enough and popular enough, it will be infiltrated, to the point that we need alternatives to the alternatives).
How about books? Ever tried to publish one of those? “Christian” publishers are especially good about promoting their pay-to-publish options. The “real” stuff, standard industrial Christian complex fare produced by the same names, and their children and grandchildren, leaves no room for ordinary nobodies. (Every so often, someone who appears to be ordinary, and nobody, is vaulted to exalted status, but predictably, their message remains strong on “conform to community.”)
The thoughts, skills, and messages of ordinary people — who are targeted by mega-corporations to think, vote, and buy a certain way — are not important to those mega-corporations.
Freedom of Speech
But they are important to other ordinary people. And blogging is a way to get that information out.
Do you successfully live on one income with a bunch of kids? Don’t look for a movie to be made about you, or a publisher to perform obeisance before you (“Tell the world, ma’am, how you’re able to live differently from the way most people are pressured to live!”), but if you blog, your stories, your experiences, your successes and failures, are meaningful to others who want to know how real people, living real lives, do this extremely difficult thing.
Are you tired of “church” culture? You’re not alone, but you’ve probably thought so because the books, the resources, the DVD’s, the “Christian” news and lifestyle sites, all nudge you to get back into that box and wriggle about in the space allotted. An increasing number of believers, like me, write about life, and Christ, and the pursuit of seeking Him as a real person, in a real life, with real issues that celebrity Christians understandably avoid. In violation of reverence for tradition and convention, regular people are asking, “Why DO we need the particular religious authorities that we have? And what makes them qualified to rule over us?”
Many real people, who blog, are small, and ordinary, and unfunded, and our message does not reach millions.
One by One
But it doesn’t need to. It only needs to reach one person, who through reading what we say, questions something he or she has been told is incontrovertible truth.
You’re no dummy, and because you breathe your way through 24-hours each day, you have skills and knowledge that are worth passing on.
You know how to cook, or sew clothing, or raise chickens, or make candles, or mix essential oils for healing purposes. You recognize deceitful marketing practices used to pressure people to buy a certain way. You run a small business and know that it’s not a quick-to-riches endeavor.
Because you’re independent, and you value independence, you live a certain way that is NOT promoted, talked about, or promulgated by the voices that seek to shape global economy, spirituality, mentality, and belief. Why is this, do you think?
If you are given the ability and desire to speak, and write, and blog, then use it, while you still can. Because, one by one, the voices of “nobody bloggers” make a difference in the lives of “nobody people.”
And “nobody people” are precious, made in the image of God.
Thank You
Thank you for joining me at This Woman Writes, where I encourage Christians to think for themselves, connect individually with Christ, and stop feeling compelled to be a certain way.
Posts complementing this one are
Why You Don’t — And Won’t — Fit In
None of Our Children Attended Harvard
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This Woman Writes by Carolyn Henderson 
Thank you for another insightful article, Carolyn! Your writing in honest fashion has been of great help to me many times. As a believer in Christ I am thankful to hear a different perspective than what has been taught in many churches & am encouraged to think for myself & seek God & His thoughts. My thanks to you for continuing to pursue truth & live it according to our Father’s plan for us, His children.
Donna — Oh, YES!!!!! When we, as believers, take seriously our relationship with Christ, using our MINDS to worship and follow Him, we tend to question the beliefs that we are so firmly and consistently told. Your comment makes my keyboard tapping fingers sing!
“Everyone else, apparently, is doing this, and if you are not, there is a strong temptation to feel that you are a failure, and perhaps it’s not worth blogging after all.” Yes! Thank you for this encouragement. I decide to quit blogging pretty much every day…but pretty much every day, God sends some word that keeps me going. Your post is that word for today, I think! Stopping by from Good Tips Tuesday!
Elizabeth — I hear you, I hear you! When you walk with God, it’s not numbers, it’s not money, it’s not the cheerleading squad in the corner, because these can all be used and misused. (And always remember that, with numbers, they can be skewed to mean anything we want them to mean. If you increase the price of a cookie from $1 to $2, that looks like a 100 percent mark up, right? But others call it 50 percent, because $1 is half of $2. Same numbers, different spin.)
If you have something to say, and it burns inside you, then say it! You don’t write it alone — the spirit of God within you speaks and works with you. Ask God to send the post where it needs to be seen, to the person who needs to see it. If this is only one person — but it is the one person who very much needs to see it, then what an incredible work you, and I, and others who write with the gift He gives us, do!
(At the same time, remember that you write with Him and for Him, and be free to ask Him, “Is it time for me to stop? Do You want me to stop?” because that time can always happen — for a brief break, or for a time to change or move elsewhere. But as you have seen, when it is the discouragement that stems from inside you, He graciously and gently encourages us to keep moving through the difficult times. Hearing His voice is not easy, and it takes being quiet and still — but the more we do it, the more we incline our ear toward His voice, the more easily we hear it through the distractions of noise around us.)
Be encouraged, my friend. I walk this path as well, and I know how rocky it is. But I also know what beautiful places it takes us to.
I agree with Donna wholeheartedly! Thank you for taking the time and energy to share from your heart with the gift of writing that God has given you. Numerous times your words have encouraged me on our road to being the church outside the building. I recently have taken a sabbatical from Facebook as well as I found that I was not “allowed” by Christian friends to share thoughts that questioned traditional, conservative, Republican ideas without being told, “I was not surprised by my unbelieving family members for those comments, but I expected more from you since you are a Christian.” There is the assumption that if you don’t go with the “church” flow of belief and indoctrination, you are a backslider, etc. Maybe we are just questioning the traditions of man to better follow the plan of God. Heaven forbid we question and dialogue without judgement. I sometimes get things wrong, but I feel such freedom in being able to question. Thank you, again, for all you do on your blog. I look forward to each posting!
Thank you, Jewell — you and Donna and good, good people like you are one of the main reasons I keep writing. (THE main reason is that I just feel compelled to — there is something that needs to be said, and not enough people are saying it.)
My heart aches to hear your experience on Facebook, and I pray that the eyes of more people will be opened, and they not only will hear with their ears and see with their eyes, but think with their minds. Peer pressure is powerful, and we are inculcated into it from a very young age — it used to be Kindergarten, now we can start in daycare. Habits like this instilled when we are young and reinforced regularly, are hard to break.
Keep thinking, keep questioning, keep bringing your thoughts and concerns and wonderments before Christ — who does NOT repel or repulse us for our honest, aching thoughts.
Reblogged this on The Progressive Christian Blog and commented:
Does being a blogger really pay off? That depends on how you define a ‘payday’.
Thank you, Paul, for reblogging this.
You are so right — it all depends upon our definitions — of success, of payment, of payday. We have a tendency, as Christians in a corporate-worshiping society, of trying to coalesce a business/money making sense of success with Jesus’s words. Quite difficult, impossible really, but it doesn’t stop us from trying!
I really like what you had to say. We all have something to say. Someone will connect with us somewhere.
So true, Gail — each of us, with our individual backgrounds and abilities, has the ability to understand and connect with another. It is so easy to get discouraged, based upon the qualifications of “success” established for us in a corporate society, but God has always defined success differently than we do, and His definition has much to do with love, compassion, grace, and mercy.
I needed to read this today.Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Heather — your comment is one that makes it all worthwhile. We are here to encourage one another on this walk of ours.
I also needed to read this today. Having just started a website in May for Baby Boomers (of which I am one!) it has been frustrating at times. Thanks for this encouraging post!
I am glad, Janet — and good wishes on your website. I, too, am a Baby Boomer – we have given much to society, and taken much away as well!
I find the problem with living in a society that worships efficiency (which is what corporations do — the more efficient the worker machines, the more profits for the top), is that we try to mix elements that don’t necessarily mix. Take quality of writing, for example. Just about every “How to Blog” list puts this one at the top, but quality writing doesn’t ensure that the blog will garner traffic. It just means that the people reading what you or I write will get something out of it, because we’ve taken time to say something worth saying.
Well then we try to mix in, “Make a lot of money,” or “Drive millions of traffic in,” with “Quality of writing,” and the two don’t necessarily complement one another. I have found myself at numerous sites, with really LOUSY writing (some of it looks like it’s done by a robo-bot), but the traffic drives because of a lot of SEO fingaling and magic. This latter takes time, time that an ordinary person will have to divest from the writing of quality content. (It also can take money, as the driving in from traffic can be through paid ads. As the reader, we are not privy to the marketing plan of the person hosting the site. Nor should we necessarily be — privacy being a commodity that is rapidly disappearing from our society — but neither should we fall for a website’s or blog’s impression that it’s making it, solely, because it’s just terrific.)
So we have to ask ourselves — why am I doing this? I’m sure that you, like me, want traffic because — after writing something that you find meaningful, and which you know will help someone out there — you want to reach that someone, and attracting readers like flys to the strip seems to be the way to go. It is there where we take the hard road, away from our corporate society’s maxims, and tell ourselves, “I wrote something excellent. It will reach someone. I will do my best to continue to reach out, but I will not be stopped because my blog isn’t ‘succeeding’ the way the Blog Divas say it should.”
And here’s a final thing: the more original, and truly non-conformist that you write, the less likely that it will be shared. People will, indeed, get something out of it, but those who are still cowed into thinking that they must “belong” and “fit in,” may not yet be ready to share something that their “friends” will attack them for reading.
Thanks so much for this post! I have been blogging for about a year and a half and I love how I get to share from my heart, about our homeschooling journey and such. Sometimes I get discouraged, especially when a friend asks about my blog, and wants to hear how much money I am making. ANd I am not making money. Instead I am connecting with other families who may be encouraged by what I share and that feels so good. I also find that the blogging world can feel competitive sometimes, especially on google plus and with the exclusiveness of some of the homeschool networks there. Thanks for the reminder that it is the people that we touch that is the reason for the writing I loved this post! Betsy @ BJ’s Homeschool.
Betsy — you are a wise woman. In the same way your family journey is unique to you, so also is you blogging experience, and your goals are good ones. Sigh. so often, in our society, we place money at the top of the heap for why we do anything. As I’ve said before, there’s nothing wrong with making money, but there is something missing when we make it our top priority.
Moneymaking certainly wasn ‘t a top priority with Christ! How sad that it is with so many of His followers.
Keep writing, keep loving it, keep connecting with the people whose hearts are touched and healed by your words. Your paycheck may take awhile, but it’s waiting for you.
Thanks, Carolyn!! Your post resonates with me! As a recently retired woman who finally has time to pursue my love of writing, I feel grateful to leave what I post in the Lord’s hands whether it is read by one or a hundred and trust that in some way it may be used by Him. Certainly, I get curious, but I am at a stage and season of my life where I am more content even if I don’t know. I also made the decision not to include ads on my website that might cause those reading it to think I wanted something from them in some way. Ads can be okay, but I felt led not to go that route. Great post!!
Pam — your attitude is one of grace, faith, beauty, and belief, and I know our loving Father honors this. May you be as richly blessed, as you are blessing others!
Needed this… Found you at Pat&Candy’s link up… I host a blog party on Friday’s this post would do awesome 🙂
I am glad, Amanda. There is a very understandable tendency in all of us to think that we are the only ones going through something, or not succeeding at the latest enterprise, or having trouble losing weight, or whatever it is that marketing departments have a solution for. It is not unsurprising that blogging, which is a simple enterprise, actually, and can be applied in many ways, would be hijacked into ONLY a money-making, add-up-the-numbers endeavor, and if you’re not doing this, then you need to get out (much in the same way the government told small farmers a generation ago, “Get big or get out.” And what do we have? Agri-business controlled food, and not many options for people who want true choice in what they eat. Thankfully, this is changing, and part of the reason is through bloggers who write about growing, cooking, and eating good food.)
Individual people, writing to and reaching individual people, make a difference. What better way to silence these people than to point to (an illusory) group around them and say, “Look — they’re successful, and you’re not. Why not just get out of it and let them do the talking?” If you have something to say, and it delights you to research and write what you do, then do so with joy and abandon. This is particularly important if you believe in the existence of God and His love and concern for His children — as Christians, we have the incredible opportunity to live our lives in tandem with God’s leading, but so sadly, many Christians look no different from those who do not acknowledge God as a significant and leading force in their lives.
Great post – enjoyed reading it. Stopping by from Think Tank Thursday.
Thank you, Kim!
Interesting and timely post, Carolyn! I have never monetized my blog. It has always been about writing the words He gives me. The outcome? I leave that up to Him. I’m thankful to have that perspective, because I know that many do not. The whole experience of blogging can be often me negative or disappointing if you’re focused on money and numbers. Thanks for helping to put this in perspective! Yours is an encouraging voice!
Thank you for your kind words, June. Yours is an experience well worth emulating, and your words are wise: “The whole experience of blogging can often be negative or disappointing if you’re focused on money and numbers.” How odd, that as Christians, we often don’t get this! but we meld money and faith so seamlessly (or it looks, to us, seamless, but really it frays all over) that tossing out the money part starts to look weird and un-good-steward like.
The irony of this would be amusing, if it weren’t so sad.
I love blogging so much and I really do think it’s a great way to shape your own future! Never in a million years did I think I would be blogging (medical student turned blogger here) and I think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
Love,
Mariam
http://www.thepetitebijou.com
Mariam — as human beings, we are meant to create — whether it’s writing, or knitting, or growing plants, or launching a business — we have energy and ideas and verve, and they’re meant to be used.
But our society is one that does not encourage creativity, and writing is either 1) left to the “professionals” who lately, in the publishing world, are providing us with a greater number of insipid books than good ones, or 2) is an assignment endured by school children. Blogging opens a world for good, creative, energetic people to share what they know, and enjoy doing it as they share. Keep loving it!
I love blogging and the creative process it gives me. Thanks for this article and thank you for linking up to Tips and Tricks. I hope to see you again this week.
Blogging is a beautiful opportunity for many people who have the gift and love of writing, to use it! We never know how long an opportunity will last, so the wisest course is to use what we have, while we have it. Thank you for letting me link up with Tips and Tricks!
Carolyn,
I needed this today! Thank you. I even read all your responses to comments. I was feeling discouraged about my numbers today. I spend a lot of time and effort to produce quality posts. I’m not the type of blogger who can write a post a day without feeling like I am compromising quality. Whenever I feel discouraged to the point of wondering if it’s “worth it” God seems to give me hope that my blog is growing and helping others. Sometimes I need to be reminded of my personal mission to help others and not let my dream to make money by doing what I love get in the way. Your post was exactly what I need to get back to my mission…to not worry about numbers…to not fret about my next post..and how I can get more readers. Thank you! #Grace and Truth
Valerie — I really, really hear on the part about “not let my dream to make money by doing what I love get in the way.”
God has given gifts and talents to each of us, and one of the most difficult, I think, are those who have been given a gift in the arts — writing, music, painting. In a world that worships science, math, and engineering, with an educational system in the U.S. that pushes — especially girls — to go into these areas even if they don’t like them or aren’t good at them, it is a challenge indeed to know what to do with the gifts in the arts. And like the people in math and sciences, artistic people would like to make money — a decent living would be really cool, no one is asking for a killing — on them.
The hardest part of our walk in this, I am becoming convinced: it is doing the work — as you say — writing the quality content, putting it forth, praying that the right people will see it — and trusting that God has the entire project in His hands. Where it goes, how it grows, whether or not you will make any money at it, how you will meet the bills — these are all things that He knows, and He cares that we wonder, and worry, and wish.
I also hear what you say about writing quality content. It’s one of those trite sayings in the “how to blog” articles, books, and webinars, but like the people who say, “Oh, I covet your prayers (more than your money),” it frequently isn’t given the weight that the words imply. But quality content, when we are using the gifts that God has given us, is the major part of our work. We are assaulted, even as we write and post, by worldly advice to “do things this way,” and “drive traffic that way,” with the corporate attitude under which we live constantly nagging us, “It’s up to you, you know, to make it. If you don’t, it’s your fault. That’s really what God means — He wants us to WORK.”
No, He wants us to trust Him. As we do, He gives us work, and we do it. But working itself is not the evidence of trusting God.
Be at peace, my sister, and keep walking with Him. It is the only route worth taking.
Thank you for encouraging me! I love this: “and trusting that God has the entire project in His hands. Where it goes, how it grows, whether or not you will make any money at it, how you will meet the bills — these are all things that He knows…and working itself is not evidence of trusting God.” You give such thoughtful responses. I have saved your response to read when I get discouraged. Thank you!
Valerie, quite recently I read a reminder of how God gives His provision to us every day, in the same way He gave the Hebrew wanderers manna in the desert. The food we need — the spiritual wisdom, guidance, encouragement, and comfort — is there on a daily basis as well, and our times of discouragement — while they are no fun AT ALL — are a time of drawing closer to God in our weakness, and letting Him take us under His wing, where it is safe, and good.
Know that you are doing a good thing — and because it is a good thing, a grand thing, a thing that doesn’t just happen today and go away — it will not be an easy thing. The discipline you need is not just to write, but to write because you have something to say, even when you feel like no one is there to listen, or to read. That is not information we are privy to, despite statistics; all we know is what we feel we should do, we want to do, we have a strong desire to do, and we do what we, in our limited ability, can.
God walks with us and does the mighty things. Perhaps one of the mightiest things He does is invite His children to join Him in His work.
Reaching one person is so important. I can let numbers rule my mind or I can focus on the people reading. Thanks for the reminder! Found you on Learning from Each other linkup
It’s funny how we humans focus on numbers. When God does, it’s in an “odd” way — as in, He knows the number of hairs on each of our heads! Within human systems, we are the masses; with God, we are His precious children, made in His image — and He knows how many hairs are on our heads.
When we do the work He sets for us to do (and it is, more often than not, something we enjoy doing and willingly jump into), then we work in partnership with our Father, and not at variance. Mercifully, He does most of the work (indeed, He could do it all — but He WANTS to work with us), but He lets us share in the joy of creation and goodness by giving us something worthy to do. Your writing — your thoughts from the learning you have from life and experience and your walk with God — reaches out to just the right people, at just the right time. Be encouraged, and blessed.
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There are so many more “Nobodies” than somebodies in the world and I, for one, am grateful for it. That way God gets the glory when I do great things in His name. Thanks for sharing your post at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.
We grow in wisdom — and joy — in Christ when we realize that we’re Nobodies and Somebodies at the same time. We are Somebody, because we are made in His image. But when we go around thinking that we are Somebody because we have money, or we have a clever witty way of zinging ripostes at people, or we’re quick with our intellect or fingers, then we’re set up for a fall, because all these things can disappear with a simple lack of oxygen to our brain for, what, two minutes? Three?
Our very next breath comes from our God and Father. It’s only logical that our very purpose in life, the gifts we are given and the use to which they are put, is heavily dependent upon Him as well. It takes a lifetime of walking with Him to draw closer and closer to this truth.
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Oh wow Carolyn! I needed to read this.
I have felt so down about my blog. I have felt its lack and haven’t embraced its good and the ministry it is and can be. Thank you for the encouraging words here!
Thanks for sharing and linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
I am glad, Jennifer. You are doing a good and wonderful work. But, being human I’m thinking, you have ideas of where you want things to go (God has created us to be energetic, creative beings), and when it doesn’t go there, it’s easy to feel failure. Even more so, when what we’re doing doesn’t conform to what the voices around us say should be, we feel like failures.
But as Christians, the voice we are to listen for, and heed, is that of God, and when we do, then there are no further obligations upon us to “listen to God, yeah, BUT, grow that blog!” In John 6:28, the people asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works of God?” — some translations have works as singular, giving the implication of “God’s work,” or the ministry He gives us, but the plural version — along with the context of the text — gives the idea that the people weren’t interested in doing God’s works, but performing miracles — just like Jesus did.
Misguided Christians today seek “secret” ways to pray and influence God, to get the answers that they, the Christians are looking for. These same Christians, or more frequently, wolves in sheep clothing who prey upon weak believers, strongly pressure us to “have enough faith” to make our endeavors succeed the way we want them to.
“Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'” This is far more difficult, and most importantly from the viewpoint of the corporate Christian industry, it doesn’t sell books, or exert human dominion over other humans.
Keep listening to the voice of God. He works with you — not over your head — to accomplish good things.
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Thanks! As a blogger who’s not make any money blogging right now, you reminded me my work is still worthy! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – hope to see you again next week!
Oh, my friend — of course your work is still worthy! And whether it EVER makes money or not, the worthiness of your work will not change.
Human beings assess value on items based upon money and influence. God repeatedly tries to get through to us that these are not the things that matter to Him. Keep seeking. Keep walking. Keep listening. Keep writing. If you don’t write the things that are in your heart and head to write, then who will write them?
He made us, each one, uniquely created…for His purpose. May we let it shine! Thanks for sharing! Susan
Yes — so very true. We are each uniquely gifted, and He is ready to show us how to unwrap, open, and use these gifts!
What a great post! I agree that blogging is about the people and not the money. I have made very little money with my blog, but the friendships I have made are priceless! I think it’s important that we be ourselves and let our light shine through our words! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Jann — when there’s a choice (and there frequently is) between people and money, people really are worth more. Because of the corporate cultural teaching we get in our society — in our education system, in our entertainment propaganda machine, in our “news,” in our office cubicles — we insist upon believing that we can successfully meet the demands of both, but we should know this isn’t true: Jesus laid it out when He said that we cannot serve two masters, and one of the choices of masters, was money.
Quite unfortunately, that is the master we tend to obey.
Thanks so much for your positive message and adding value to Fridays Blog Booster Party #26
Kathleen
You are welcome. I try to keep the message positive, which is challenging because what we are addressing is negative. Greed, anxiety, societal nudging, corporate control via peer pressure and mass media marketing — these are not positive things, but they are what we are taught to believe is reality.
In opening our eyes to reality, we have to topple down the towers of Babel that mankind creates to enslave one another — and nobody likes their preconceptions, and lifelong held beliefs, to be put in question. But if we don’t question what we’re told, if we’re not willing to admit that we’ve been believing a lie, then . . . we continue to believe the lie.
And no amount of positive thinking makes that a happy choice..
I love this !!! Sending to the hubby 🙂 xxxx Thanks for linking up with Learning From Each Other 🙂
I am glad, Amanda, and I am honored that you are sending it to another. That’s how both truth, and lies, spread. Since the lies are funded, and are so well disseminated through channels that ordinary people cannot use, it is up to us ordinary people, one by one, to pass on the truth as we find it.
For now, we have access to the Internet. We can write letters to the editor (it’s pretty much the only open forum for ordinary people in mass media). We can talk with our friends and family. Let us use what we have been given to use, because there’s never any guarantee that things will stay the same — either bad, or good.
Carolyn, this post is a confirmation of what the Holy Spirit continues to speak to me. I have struggled for the past 2 years trying to create a business with my blog. There was a time when I was working soooo hard trying to increase my numbers–following all of the blogging advice that I could. But… the numbers continue to be very small. Recently, the Lord has been speaking a freeing message to me: Do the work and trust Him for the results. He promises to produce much fruit–fruit that lasts. So, I’m no longer worried about numbers. I’m not trying to grow my following. I’m focusing on doing what I know I’m called to do–share what I’ve been given.
Besides, our numbers don’t tell the story. Just last week a lady came up to me and told me how much one of my posts helped her. She’s not even a subscriber! A friend e-mailed the post to her. I’m completely convinced that God always does FAR more with our work than we can begin to fathom. I actually just blogged on this subject. http://aleciabaptiste.com/small-things-are-bigger-than-we-realize/
Thank you for this timely post and the encouragement that we are not to follow the pattern of this work, but to be set apart for God’s special purposes. The world may say that our work is insignificant, but God says otherwise. He doesn’t look at the things man looks at.
I really appreciate your perspective!
Alecia — your comment strikes my heart with its wisdom and perception. I rejoice that you hear the steady prompting of the Spirit, and that your ear is tuned enough to listen — and not only to listen, but to heed.
I rejoice also in the sense of freedom and release you have in following His prompting. I read your post — it is EXCELLENT! Your words have touched me and encouraged me — isn’t it amazing how God takes the hand of one of His children and puts it into the hand of another of His children and says, “Listen to each other — you have something to say. I want you to help each other.”