Believe me when I say, I love each and everyone of you who take the time to stop by my blog and leave comments. Whether you follow me or not is not the issue. It's not you, it's me.
See PRIDE, yes in capital letters because it is such a huge stumbling block for me, is driving this obsession.
Everyday, several times a day, I peruse my dashboard stats to see the traffic, what sites are referring, oh and the comments too. I seem to say to myself "Oh look, they do like me!!" or, insert crying like a baby...."WAAAAA, nobody likes me."
My goal when I started this blog was to make the Lord visible through my posts. I know I have stayed true to that but at what cost? Am I really making Him visible or is it a means to MY end of getting validation?
I know that followers and link parties are the ways that most blogs work and that is the trend.
But I also know that if God wants my furniture business to prosper, than HE will make it happen and not by anything that I am doing or not doing, for that matter.
Is anybody else going through this????
I am really torn about whether I should keep my followers widget and my comments widget on my blog layout. Does that sound ridiculous? If I don't have them there will it stop my need to know if I am "good" at what I do? Shouldn't I be looking to the Lord for my self-worth?
Please help, I am really torn by this and I am looking for a word, so speak it because I need a reality check.
Always being renewed,
you can get rid of the stats? Really?
ReplyDeleteHonestly I would keep them, I check mine as well. (after I discovered it was there).
Cut down the number of times you check and tell yourself it's not important...the mind is a wonderful thing, eventually you will realize how unimportant it is to know the numbers. But please keep the comments available. You never know..one day when you need some kind of encouragement, the Lord may leave you a message through someone's comment...just the thing you may need.
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteI know it's easy to sort of get "sucked in" to looking at your stats and comments, and I think it's totally glorifying to HIM that you even worry about it being a matter of pride!
From my perspective, it seemed to take forever to get a few followers or comments. It grows exponentially - because between 8/18 and 12/31 I had gained 100 followers. Now on 2/10 I have 43 more. I think it might just work that way. I also think it may not be pride in your case as much as a desire to get your/His message out there in your own way.
I hold fast to Isaiah 55:10-11. If we do our part of putting some nugget out there, then HS takes over and does His work, and accomplishes his purpose.
You're doing well. You have a message and a perspective that just might be what someone needs to read at a specific time, and you will be useful. Just stay steady on your course. :)
Revi
At first, I thought this was a funny post, and I was laughing! Then I felt like crying. Waaaaaa! You made me wonder if I'm prideful. I don't think I am. But it's so hard to tell biblically for me. I obsess over things like that, really.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I evaluate myself all the time. I'll be contemplating this issue more and perhaps even ask a pastor now, lol.
But my own non professional opinion is that it's OK to want people to like you and get excited at new people following. Just not at the expense of doing something sinful. It's not the liking and approval that makes us worldly, it's wanting the liking and the approval at the expense that you would be willing to do something that you know is blatantly wrong to get it. Like forget that He's the one behind it all. And you don't appear to be doing that.
I think getting excited about your followers and checking everyday isn't wrong. That's how you see God working and growing your business. And it shows they like you! And it is nice being liked:) And you will always in the back of your mind know that He did it all, and gave you the talent and resources all along. I know somewhere in the New Testament, Paul is giving an admonition to the rich, and he says something like "God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." I think doing what you are doing, and just reminding yourself that it's Him that does the growing and not YOU is humble.
The longer I have believed in Christ, and I think that's who we are talking about, right? Cause I know there are many that believe in God but not necessarily that Christ is part of the trinity and died for our sins, the only way to heaven.
Anyhow, the longer I believe the more I realize there are many things I did not know and have to relearn. So, perhaps I'm not the best person for advice. Ha! I've been on a spiritual quest lately. I have lots of questions, not many answers.
But I do believe what I have written. If I'm wrong, I believe God will show me. It does say he is able to keep us. Oh man! He's just going to have to, cause there is no way I can figure all of this out on my own!
Oh, one more comment. Your self worth from God and keeping your followers widget are 2 separate issues. Whether your business prospers or not, you will always know that you are worth something because of Him and because you're His.
ReplyDeleteIt would be normal to feel sad and disappointed that people didn't like your work, if your business didn't prosper, but as long as you know that doesn't define your self-worth, then that is all that really matters.
The world gets its validation by success. We get our validation regardless because we are His and know that there is really nothing in ourselves that is good apart from Him.
Enjoying a talent with the ups and downs that come with it, is good. There are examples all through the bible where God is happy or rejoices when we do something that we enjoy. It would only be natural to feel sad if things weren't going as you hoped. King David expressed his sadness about things not going right all the time. He kept it real and at the end he always expressed his faith in the One whom would keep him.
Man, I'm just rambling. Perhaps I should have just emailed you.
Bless your heart, you have gotten good advice from some who seem to understand some of the trials of having a blog, of which category I don't belong because I
ReplyDeletedon't have a blog, have never had one. However, we all live our lives from a foundation, making the choices and measuring them by some standard and it appears that you have a strong foundation and a standard that has already been compiled and is available to you at any given moment. How very privileged you are to have been given a talent that you can use to go into all the world without leaving your home. Every venture embarked upon needs to be assessed and while results help us with that assessment it doesn't necessarily mean that numbers are the only measurement of results. So, I would say, use your talents by faithfulness in your endeavors and trust that the Lord will be pleased. When Moses doubted his call by God and his abilities to do the right thing, the Lord said to him to "Go and I will be with your mouth and I will teach you what you should say" Ex.4:12 ..may the Lord bless you and keep you and prosper you in all that you do as you live for Him.