I have a lot of thoughts lately.
Thoughts on life, motherhood, marriage, relationships, hospitality, and the direction I want this sweet little online space of mine to go.
A lot of you have emailed me and really opened up about how easy it is to get caught up in the numbers and comparison game in this blogging community. I get it – I really do. I’m an extremely competitive person at heart, to the point that it can become a massive stumbling block for me. In this community part of the job is all about self-promotion, and it can be so easy to look at those exclamations of the greatness of others and get down about what you’re doing or not doing.
I get that. Because I do it too.
But the biggest pulling on my heart lately is to use this space and this voice and the little bit of influence that God has given me to help others see the grace and righteousness that comes only from the Lord. You need to know that if you’re a massively famous blogger who gets free trips and amazing product and has hundreds of thousands of followers or if you’re a small blogger with a smaller audience or if you don’t even blog at all – you have been given incredible gifts that will bless. Those gifts will bless others but more importantly they will bless and audience of One. You can do great things – YES YOU CAN. You can do great things – AS LONG AS YOU REST IN THE ONE WHO HAS DONE THE GREATEST THING. A verse I read Sunday that I’ve been resting in during this season of erasing comparison from my life is 2 Timothy 2:20-21:
In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing. (The Message translation)
I am now faced with a challenge of continuing on a path of unhappiness because all of my self-promotion and claims of greatness and recipes that I’m SO SURE can bring me millions of hits in a single day OR I can choose to allow God to take over this space and do something great with it. By “great” I don’t mean huge numbers of followers and endless cash flow, but rather do something that will change someone’s life forever. I can let God use me or I can keep putting faith in myself and failing again and again and again.
And y’all? I think I’ll choose the former. Because by getting over my compulsive desire to post 5+ recipes a week – just in case I lose readers if I don’t – I am finally learning how to live life. To create relationships, to bless others, and to use my gifts of encouragement and compassion. I like living a happier life – and my wish and my prayer is that somehow, some way, this little blog can help you do the same.
Be blessed y’all. I love you 🙂
May God use you for His Glory!
I am going to use the picture above with the beautiful verses, on candle holders to give at Mother’s day to our church sisters as keep sake.
Happy Mother’s Day dear. May God continue to Bless you.
Geesh. I never knew that blogging was like that. Really. I feel somewhat guilty that it has turned out that way for so many of you generous people who share your lives with us so that we can enrich ours.
I have also felt God’s loud voice as of late. I do think there are things bigger than all of us, and that at the end of the day God gives us the very breath we take and the only reason he affords us that is to forward His kingdom.
We can never forget that, it’s the most important thing. Just like Noah we must ask in all things, “Do I find favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
God bless and keep you and yours.
Darlene
Thanks Darlene! You are such an encouragement 🙂
Great thoughts Heather. As you know many of us relate. 🙂 I don’t know if there needs to be a choice of going hard one way or the other, as long as you are daily walking with the Lord, I do believe He will guide you, and your desires. Rest in that!
Be blessed and keep up the great work. 🙂
Yes yes yes yes YES. This is something I struggle with SO MUCH, so thank you for the reminder that my space is not about me, but about my Creator. You are so inspiring and I admire you, girl!
I feel the same about you sweetheart!!!
Can I just say that He is already using your blog, this space, to encourage others?! This post definitely lifted my spirits. As a fairly new blogger and perfectionist at heart, I struggle so much with comparing numbers and the growth of my blog to others. There are days, when such comparison, makes me want to quit all together. I’m then gently reminded (today by your post!) that my blog was created to hopefully give someone else who is reading hope and goodness. Thanks for the reminder! I’ll pray that the Lord continues to use your blog to His good. Be blessed, Kristin
Thank you so much Kristin! Don’t lose heart girl – the things of this world mean nothing in the long run! 🙂
I like these posts better than the recipe posts. 🙂 Keep ’em comin’!
Heather, you have such a great perspective – thank you for sharing this. I have also struggled with some of these thoughts and how to reconcile my faith with all of the everyday struggles and distractions in my life. Sometimes it just takes a step back and a louder conversation with God. I think you’ve got a great thing going with your blog, whether your posts be of the recipe or reflection variety!
Thank you Megan. It really is a challenge, but I’ve come to see that it is so worth it to take the road that God lays out for us. All of my struggling to make it big on my own (and others’) terms took a lot of energy that I could have put into something bigger than myself. I have post-its EVERYWHERE reminding me of that!!!
I love your blog and you have helped to strengthen my Christian journey. On that note, I remembered a blog post that mentioned your friend, Andrew B. Heard, who was suffering from cancer. I started to follow his journey and I read his last post on April 7. It has almost been a month and I am concerned about him. Do you know if he is ok? Thank you and keep inspiring Heather!
Thank you Jodi! And thank you for asking about Andrew. They are going to the doctor tomorrow to have some brain scans done and then going into another round of chemo. That’s all I know right now, but I’m sure he will post when he can! Another good place to catch up on their journey is his wife’s blog – that address is http://www.baileyheard.com.
Thank you Heather! I am very happy for this update. God bless you.
glad you shared that–I was wondering too. 🙂
Go with God and you can never go wrong! I LOVE your blog on days when you post recipes but I love it more when you give me a word God has given you. Countless times I’ve been brought to tears. Please keep doing what God leads you to do. If only ONE person is touched, it is worth it!
Thank you so much Denise, and you are SO right – you can never go wrong with God!