I know very little about blogs. In fact, I've always had a snobby opinion of blogs. To be honest, I thought blogs were just people who thought they were important telling the world how important they were. God, in his infinite wisdom and delightful sense of humor has been urging me to write one because the platform fits the plan he has for me. I've had to get over my judgmental self just to be obedient.
I have always loved to write. I love playing with the language. My whole world opened up when I first read a Tom Robbins book as an assignment for a writing class. I don't even remember the stories in his books. I just remember the brilliant way he played with the language. It was entertaining all by itself. It sparked a desire in me to become a writer. I loved the writing part, but always struggled to find things to write about. I couldn't come up with a story or a topic. That's kind of an important piece of writing. So I tabled it. I have written employee manuals and other painful things people are forced to read in hopes that my writing style would make them more entertaining and less painful. But unless someone else came up with the topic, I couldn't write anything worth reading.
But now, God has taken my life in an incredible direction and I am overflowing with wondrous, interesting, inspiring, encouraging events and epiphanies; topics that are absolutely worthy of sharing! God gave me the topic! He gave me the topic of himself and my relationship with Him! Is there a better topic in the universe? The topic of how I had to challenge the lies I grew up believing and rearrange my view of life to more align with His view of my life? Is there anything more worthy of sharing than how God helped me learn the right way to endure suffering so I didn't hurt myself more in the process? And then the restoration after the suffering? I can share my struggles and how I got through them as a way to help other people!
This idea brings all my different parts together. I love to help people. I have a big, huge heart. I am compassionate. I have suffered emotional agony most of my life. With this blog, the darkest moments of my life could become useful to someone else. Incredible. I write this because God told me to, but also because I hope that by sharing how I have made it through some desperate and painful events and seasons of my life that you, or someone you know, might find hope and comfort. No matter what you are going through right now, I know that God can use it for good and He can guide you out of it into a more comfortable place by His side.
I also have had many people along my journey that have helped me calm the storms. I like to share with them as I grow spiritually. I like to celebrate the continuing upward trajectory of my spiritual life and thank them by encouraging them with my stories. I don't think my life is more amazing than anyone else's life, but for the folks who helped me, it's like harvesting the garden they helped to plant. There are too many for me to get on the phone and share all this with them. So God suggested I use this tool to share their harvest with them.