I love blogs. The internet gives me incredibly easy access to the writing and creativity of others to inspire, encourage and challenge me. Recently, though, I’ve found myself looking at piece after piece of brilliant writing and instead of being built up I’m left thinking ‘The world and his wife have a blog nowadays’.
The blogging game is HUGE and there are plenty of people writing about faith and lifestyle so I can’t help but question from time to time why my weekly posts are worth existing on an internet saturated with blogs so similar to my own.
You may not have a blog but I’m betting you have some form of social media and have experienced some form of comparison, whether that be whilst scrolling through a perfectly colour coordinated Instagram feed or looking at idealized holiday snaps on Pinterest.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that what you have to share isn’t worthwhile but at the end of the day you could ask ‘is this blog post good enough?’ or ‘this photo?’, ‘this caption?’, ‘this tweet?’ to a hundred people and you’ll never, ever get 100% of those people answering ‘yes’. I’m learning that whilst I want to set high standards for myself, I can never please everyone and as soon as my writing becomes a way of seeking new followers, I don’t want to be a part of the blogging world anymore.
I’ve read a crazy amount of blogging advice from the best in the business and one notion comes up time and time again, ‘give the people what they want, write for them, not you’.
I want to write relevant content that appeals to my readership but ultimately I know that I don’t want to write about things I don’t find interesting or helpful myself and I won’t compromise on that.
When writing for God I want people to read what I write for Him but if my desire for followers outweighs my desire to follow Jesus, I might as well shut down all my social media accounts.
I’ve learned that our online presence isn’t about numbers. Each ‘follow’ or ‘like’ represents a person and may we never forget that. Being intentional with how we use social media can be part of our walk with Jesus; if it’s in a way that uplifts others and speaks encouragement and positivity, this can glorify Him.
Next time you feel like what you share online isn’t worthwhile, remember that no one else writes quite like you, no one else can share exactly what it is you want to share. You have a unique story and a unique voice to tell it with. There may be someone who needs to read exactly what you have to say. If just one person is impacted by my writing then I will continue to use social media with the purpose of helping others, and myself, to draw closer to Him.
Next time I’ve finished writing a post, as my cursor hovers over ‘publish’, I won’t let myself question the value of what I have to share but instead know that if I’m convicted about something and am using that passion in a way that encourages others, then it is worthy of a place on the internet . Instead of asking myself ‘Is this post good enough?’, I’m going to ask, ‘Does this post glorify God?’ and if the answer’s ‘yes’ then I’ll hit that button with boldness.
Galatians 1:10 ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?’
Ella is a tea-drinking Jesus-follower who reads lots, writes even more and knows too many Taylor Swift lyrics.
Blog: https://wearefearfullymade.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/connolly_ella
Instagram: ellarconnolly