I‘d be lying if I said blogging doesn’t make me feel like I’m still in high school sometimes. Not the good parts—being young and healthy and able to eat whatever I want without gaining weight—but the ugly stuff: insecurities, doubts.
Documenting pageviews and subscribers for blog campaigns or the often demoralizing and disheartening quest for elusive conference sponsorships can leave a girl feeling vulnerable, like standing in front of a table of judges at cheerleading try outs, wondering if you’ve made the squad.
Am I good enough? Will they want me? What could I do better?
In studying history I find cultures that fell apart because they rested on a foundation no stronger than man himself. A fallible foundation eventually equals a failed society, no matter how much human might and ingenuity it possess.
I’m suspended from a pendulum perpetually dancing between failure and success when I take God out of the equation and see through worldly eyes, where grace and mercy are absent. Thankfully the Lord doesn’t value us based on our worldly achievements; He loves us as brothers and sisters and in His eyes . . .
We are more than our stats.
“Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” ~Acts 10:34
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All 31 Days of Real Life posts can be found here. Other 31 Dayers can be found here.
love this. I was so addicted to my blog stats that I finally turned them off so I could re-find sanity. That was about a year ago… and I toy with thinking about turning them on again, but then I read things like this and am reminded why I turned them off in the first place 🙂 thanks for the great reminder today!
Jenny, I got rid of all of those “ranking” buttons a few years ago. They’ll make you nuts trying to figure out what you’re doing right or wrong. 🙂
Glad to know someone else feels the same way I do. I don’t think I would care if I glibly blogged about my outfit of the day but when I blog I pour myself into it and it is disheartening if no one appreciates your work. Thank you for this by the way. I really needed this today.
I really love this. I was faced with this the other day and I never used to care. Its a constant competition which I’m not sure why. I’m all for asking for friends help with some likes for a specific campaign to help the advertisers company out but the rest is for the birds. Lol
I feel this pull so much too, Dawn. Publishers want to know how many people read your blog a day, and so sometimes I find myself checking stats more often than I actually write! It’s silly. And counterproductive. And focusing on the wrong thing.
There is such a tension–we know that if we reach one person, that is amazing. And God was with us in that. But we also want to use our time wisely. I don’t want to blog if it’s not going to make a huge difference to people, because I could be doing other things with my time that would make a bigger difference. And that’s why it all comes back, not to stats, but to God. Is this really where He wants me? Did He really give me that message?
And it’s hard, too, when you start getting negative comments when you share something really on your heart. That’s when we have to run to God more and verify our calling. And I guess that’s a good thing!
Sheila from To Love, Honor and Vacuum!
So timely while we’re in the middle of week 3 of #31 Days. You wrote the words hidden in my heart.
You rock Dawn!!! You so totally Rock!!!
Elizabeth, I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes the “shallow” posts get the attention and the ones that come from the heart appear relatively ignored. It’s tough.
Meghan, you nailed the part I hate: I don’t ever want it to feel like a competition. I don’t think companies understand that.
Sheila, I love your point: it’s about verifying your calling and weighing whether what you do is helping anyone.
Thank you, Jeri—I think you rock! Thanks for being an encourager. 🙂
I so agree! It’s so not productive and it does take us back to high school days of comparing and wondering if anyone likes us, really likes us. It so puts the focus on all the wrong things instead of where it should be. Thanks for the reminder.
I am also doing a 31 day challenge, if you’d like to link yours up on my site too. I know my readers would enjoy your series. I’m writing my series on 31 days of depression.
http://melindatodd.com/31-days-of-challenge
Blessings,
Mel
Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God
I so agree Dawn!
Living by the praise or blame of men = definitive setup for failure in my book!