A Few Thoughts on Blogging
I've been thinking about this blog a lot recently and blogging in general.
When I started blogging last year, it was with the intent of sharing day-to-day activities with friends who enjoy keeping up with me, writing about things which were on my heart, and occasionally, addressing some of the topics I'm passionate about. After writing for a few weeks and starting to get comments and questions, I found I really enjoyed blogging.
After a few more months and a few controversial topics, I had become a real die-hard blogger -- in fact, I was almost constantly thinking about what I was going to blog about next or worrying about how people were going to respond to the latest post I had written. My husband and a few others graciously reprimanded me for spending too much time blogging (my husband, of all people, should definitely know if I have my priorities out of whack -- Dinner and clean clothes do need to take a precedence over computer time!) and for having a condescending attitude in my posts (Which I know I have been guilty of so much of the time -- I'm a stubborn, opinionated person and need all of the compassion and mercy that the Lord has to offer!).
Since then, although I am still not as gracious and humble as I would like to be (God isn't finished with me yet!), nor can I say that I am always perfect at sticking to my small window of time allowed for blogging each day, this blog has taken much more of a back burner in my life.
In the past 2 months, I have especially cut back on blogging -- I blog when I have time and inspiration. 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there, or during my alloted blogging time on the schedule (if I'm not busy doing something else).
Blogging has become a very enjoyable exercise, in addition being an excellent growing experience, causing me to think and examine what I believe, and learning to articulate that in a loving, but passionate manner (still perfecting that!). I've met so many wonderful people and had a lot of interesting opportunities present themselves through blogging.
I remember in my early blogging days (i.e. eight months ago), we were having a lively discussion about blogging with C.S. Hayden and I was saying how shocked I was to be receiving 100 and sometimes even 200 visits per day to my blog. I made a little smirky comment about how I was hoping to someday have 1,000 visits per day. I was completely joking at the time, but I did think it would be rather incredible to have such a "large" audience.
Little did I know I would actually be receiving almost that amount of traffic everyday just eight months later. I am still baffled as to why people find the crazy little rants and musings of this petite "uneducated" housewife to have any bearings on the world in general. It never ceases to amaze me. All I know is that if there is anything here which is an inspiration or an encouragement, the glory goes to God. I am nothing, that's for sure.
Although having a "larger" blog readership is a wonderful thing, it is not without a huge responsibility. I am responsible before God for what is on this blog. It is a reflection of my husband and of my Lord. I never want to bring shame upon either of them. I receive a lot of negative emails and comments -- many of which never are seen by any of you. I will just be completely honest and say, I like people to like me and I don't like people to not like me. If someone writes a negative email or strongly disagrees with me, it can upset or hurt me. But, God uses these to keep me humble. If everyone was always writing and telling me how much they enjoyed my blog, I'm sure I would feel reason to pat myself on the back for being such an astute thinker or great writer. Since I get plenty of negative emails (some of which are loving rebukes which are very warranted and needful!), it helps me to remembering my many short-comings and how far I have to go.
I don't know why God has allowed so many to read this blog. It can be overwhelming at times -- I receive many emails and I want to help everyone and answer all of their deep questions. But, I'm only 24, I only have 24 hours in my day, and I certainly don't have many answers. The only answer I do have for anything is that God's grace is sufficient.
I don't know how much longer the Lord will have this blog be a part of my life. I've told my husband that the day he tells me it's time for it to go, it goes. I know that this is only a season in my life. I've learned a lot, I've grown a lot, and I've realized how much I have left to learn. When God moves me on, I want to joyfully follow.
Thank you to so many of you who have blessed me, encouraged me, lovingly rebuked me, patiently listened to me, and taken time from your busy lives to read and comment here. I have been having trouble keeping up with comments recently, so my husband suggested that I keep comment moderation on all the time. I may change this at a later date, but for now, please continue to post comments, it might just take me a day or so to go and moderate them. This allows me more freedom to not have to constantly be moderating things throughout the day and also allows me to remove any distasteful comments without them ever being posted. I love the give and take and the insightful comments and dialogue, but as the traffic increases, the comment moderation time was increasing as well. Thank you for your understanding.
May the Lord bless each and every one of you!
When I started blogging last year, it was with the intent of sharing day-to-day activities with friends who enjoy keeping up with me, writing about things which were on my heart, and occasionally, addressing some of the topics I'm passionate about. After writing for a few weeks and starting to get comments and questions, I found I really enjoyed blogging.
After a few more months and a few controversial topics, I had become a real die-hard blogger -- in fact, I was almost constantly thinking about what I was going to blog about next or worrying about how people were going to respond to the latest post I had written. My husband and a few others graciously reprimanded me for spending too much time blogging (my husband, of all people, should definitely know if I have my priorities out of whack -- Dinner and clean clothes do need to take a precedence over computer time!) and for having a condescending attitude in my posts (Which I know I have been guilty of so much of the time -- I'm a stubborn, opinionated person and need all of the compassion and mercy that the Lord has to offer!).
Since then, although I am still not as gracious and humble as I would like to be (God isn't finished with me yet!), nor can I say that I am always perfect at sticking to my small window of time allowed for blogging each day, this blog has taken much more of a back burner in my life.
In the past 2 months, I have especially cut back on blogging -- I blog when I have time and inspiration. 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there, or during my alloted blogging time on the schedule (if I'm not busy doing something else).
Blogging has become a very enjoyable exercise, in addition being an excellent growing experience, causing me to think and examine what I believe, and learning to articulate that in a loving, but passionate manner (still perfecting that!). I've met so many wonderful people and had a lot of interesting opportunities present themselves through blogging.
I remember in my early blogging days (i.e. eight months ago), we were having a lively discussion about blogging with C.S. Hayden and I was saying how shocked I was to be receiving 100 and sometimes even 200 visits per day to my blog. I made a little smirky comment about how I was hoping to someday have 1,000 visits per day. I was completely joking at the time, but I did think it would be rather incredible to have such a "large" audience.
Little did I know I would actually be receiving almost that amount of traffic everyday just eight months later. I am still baffled as to why people find the crazy little rants and musings of this petite "uneducated" housewife to have any bearings on the world in general. It never ceases to amaze me. All I know is that if there is anything here which is an inspiration or an encouragement, the glory goes to God. I am nothing, that's for sure.
Although having a "larger" blog readership is a wonderful thing, it is not without a huge responsibility. I am responsible before God for what is on this blog. It is a reflection of my husband and of my Lord. I never want to bring shame upon either of them. I receive a lot of negative emails and comments -- many of which never are seen by any of you. I will just be completely honest and say, I like people to like me and I don't like people to not like me. If someone writes a negative email or strongly disagrees with me, it can upset or hurt me. But, God uses these to keep me humble. If everyone was always writing and telling me how much they enjoyed my blog, I'm sure I would feel reason to pat myself on the back for being such an astute thinker or great writer. Since I get plenty of negative emails (some of which are loving rebukes which are very warranted and needful!), it helps me to remembering my many short-comings and how far I have to go.
I don't know why God has allowed so many to read this blog. It can be overwhelming at times -- I receive many emails and I want to help everyone and answer all of their deep questions. But, I'm only 24, I only have 24 hours in my day, and I certainly don't have many answers. The only answer I do have for anything is that God's grace is sufficient.
I don't know how much longer the Lord will have this blog be a part of my life. I've told my husband that the day he tells me it's time for it to go, it goes. I know that this is only a season in my life. I've learned a lot, I've grown a lot, and I've realized how much I have left to learn. When God moves me on, I want to joyfully follow.
Thank you to so many of you who have blessed me, encouraged me, lovingly rebuked me, patiently listened to me, and taken time from your busy lives to read and comment here. I have been having trouble keeping up with comments recently, so my husband suggested that I keep comment moderation on all the time. I may change this at a later date, but for now, please continue to post comments, it might just take me a day or so to go and moderate them. This allows me more freedom to not have to constantly be moderating things throughout the day and also allows me to remove any distasteful comments without them ever being posted. I love the give and take and the insightful comments and dialogue, but as the traffic increases, the comment moderation time was increasing as well. Thank you for your understanding.
May the Lord bless each and every one of you!
posted by Crystal Paine at 3:19 PM
9 Comments:
I hope you don't have to leave the blog world anytime soon....I sure would miss you a lot!!
You mentioned that you have been able to stick to your daily schedule easier now than in the past....I was wondering, why do you think you've been more successful at it now? What changed? Was it the blogging that was causing you to fall behind?
I was struck by your comment about being a petite, "uneducated" housewife. If there is one thing I believe in very strongly, it's that everyone's views are important. You don't have to have a college degree to have an opinion and you don't have to have a college degree to be right. And as a fellow petite, certainly being short has nothing to do with it!
(From a feminist perspective, the idea of housewives not being as worthy to participate in debate on national issues is wrong, wrong, wrong!!! If one thing drives me nuts, it's when an older partner in my firm tells me to explain something simply as though I'm talking to my "Aunt Milly," -- as though anyone named Aunt Milly mustn't be very smart since she likely spent her life raising kids.)
Great thoughts, Crystal. I've been blogging for about a year too- and it is fun, huh! I've also had many of the same questions as you.
One thing I've noticed about the blogging world is that strong opinions, especially on controversial issues and/or issues that are disputable (or at least some think they are) among Christians get a lot of attention.
I know a goal I have for the future of my blog is to figure out how I can put more focus on WHO He is and why I love and trust Him, rather than on my opinion of the "right" way to "do" everything.
My kids were listening to Hide Em In Your Heart recently and I can't get the song based on 1 Thess. 5:11 out of my head.
"Encourage one another, and build each other up. Up, up, up,..... up! Don't tear each other down. Down, down, down, down...... down! :)
How to improve in that area is a worthy question to ask!
You are a remarkable young woman. I appreciate your honesty and openness to growth. I also appreciate your openness to rebuke and disagreements. May God continue to bless you and may you continue to let His love radiate through your words. Blessings!!
Oh Crystal, that was beautiful. Thank you for writing that. I feel I understand you better and for your struggles I feel encouraged in my own with computer time.
It is a hard one. I've had a blog for two years now and I know all of the feelings you described.
As a note of encouragement the obsession with blogging does become less over time. I still hang out to see what people have commented and how they will react to some of what I say, but after a time I found I think about posts now and they don't consume me as they once did.
After about a year and a half the initial consuming excitement left and it's just now a relaxing, fun add on to my life. At one point I left my blog completely for six months: I didn't write anything, I didn't comment on anyone elses blogs. I found this really helped me get my perspectives straight. I lived for six months rediscovering all the joys of just simply living and when I felt it was time I came back. But the big difference now was that I knew I could live without blogging.
Maybe one day this is where you'll come to, or maybe one day you will leave forever. Either way, I admire you for your attitude and the way you're so willing to take the blows and move on. God is going to use you so much! Think of Gladys Aylward!
Crystal, your blog struck home to me! My husband and I have had many a talk over how much time should be devoted to the computer in my day, and it is still something I struggle with...My husband wants our home on a very organized schedule, and it is quite difficult for me! It is so uplifting to read about your submissive spirit in this area. Keep looking upward, and forward!
"If there is one thing I believe in very strongly, it's that everyone's views are important. You don't have to have a college degree to have an opinion and you don't have to have a college degree to be right."
"(From a feminist perspective, the idea of housewives not being as worthy to participate in debate on national issues is wrong, wrong, wrong!!!"
HF: Even though we rarely agree about the roles of women, the above sentences are why I appreciate you and enjoy reading your thoughts.
I'm new to this website, but so glad I found it!
Can I get some feedback about sleep strategies for your little ones. I don't want to do the "Cry it Out" method, but I need some other tips. I'm exhausted. I have a 6 mo. old who is getting up 2-3 x's a night still (sometimes for an hour).
THANKS AND PLEASE PRAY FOR ME TO HAVE PATIENCE!
I have only had my blog for about a month, and it is very exciting to watch that counter go up or get a comment on a post. I have felt the same pressures as you have; i.e. time spent blogging vs. Keeping Home, expressing my opinion a little too freely, desiring a large audience.
I am actually thankful that I have been too busy the past few days to blog, and my desire to watch that counter go up or comments being posted has lessened.
I also feel like the LORD has left me with nothing to say the past couple of times I wanted to blog... hopefully I will learn to blog only what/when He wants me to!! ( ;
I have always been the "self-confident one", but I want people to like me and what I have to say, too.
I do love to read your posts, Crystal, and your newsletters. Glory to God that He has given you words to say for Him, and you have listened. We can all benefit from the education your parents lovingly gave you.
At the very least, by blogging, you can continue to learn more about and grow into the woman God has created you to be!
Wishing you many blessings and many teachable moments!
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