A little over a month ago I decided it was time to take a blogging break, and so for the past month Triple Braided has been somewhat of a ghost blog except for a few wonderful guest bloggers. (If you did not have a chance to read their posts, they are great reads, and I am so blessed to have them featured. You can check them out here: A Long Distance Love Story Part 1 and Part 2, The Thief of Joy, and What are the Desires of Our Hearts as Single Women?
So why a blogging break?
Back in January God revealed to me that my One Word for 2012 needed to be Focus – something that I have an extremely hard time doing. I am the girl who goes into the kitchen to clean out the pantry then decides to organize the spices. And after walking into the garage to search for that one plastic basket that would be great to use to organize the spices, starts cleaning out the Christmas decorations. Needless to say, focus is hard for me, and I end up with my hand in a dozen unfinished projects feeling unaccomplished, overwhelmed, and scattered.
The same has been true for blogging and writing. I began blogging for fun. Then it became therapy as I processed my husband’s sickness and heart transplant. At that point I realized how much I love to write and found myself writing in my head constantly. And I realized what influence people can have in the world through their words. I wanted to be a part of that. First because I loved it, and also because I could see a bigger picture. Quickly I learned that blogging and writing is hard work when you’re serious about it. Since I did not go into it seriously my hand was in a dozen blogging projects and ideas without any focus. It was time for me to get focused, ask God about His will for this space, and commit to only working on those goals.
How a Blogging Break Helped Me
During the time that I took away from blogging a big event transpired in my life. I cannot wait to share it with you, but today’s not the day. I am going to reveal that news later this week. But with this news my world changed pretty drastically. It opened up into a whole new realm. A realm that I was not used to considering or thinking about or all of a sudden being passionate about.
The problem became that this new world did not fit into the place where I thought God was calling me in the blogging world. And there was no way to make it fit. I struggled with making my present fit into what I feel so strongly about from my past – my single years – and helping young women make wiser choices in this season of life.
I went back to God and asked Him again where all these places from my life – the past and the present with all the passion that I have for both – fit into Triple Braided . They are me, so I want to share them and talk about them and learn more about them. He revealed to me how to make all the seasons of my life fit.
I discovered my blogging niche.
I read over and over again that blogging is not for you, the writer. I read that it really has nothing to do with the writer, and no one really cares about that person behind the keyboard. Blogging is about your readers. It is important to constantly think about your readers’ wants and needs and not your own.
I agree with this, and I want blogging to be about others and not about me. I want to use it as a ministry to maybe, just maybe, encourage, inspire, and give hope to women who read these words. But then I find myself getting too focused on others and stats and “bigger bloggers” and what more I should be doing. And again, I lose my focus.
I also want to be an upside-down blogger as Ann Voskamp so beautifully wrote about in a Blogger’s Prayer. After all, shouldn’t my whole life be upside-down, only looking to God with surrendered eyes? I want this space to be filled only with thoughts, ideas, and words that bring Him glory and point myself and others back to Him – thinking only of pleasing the One who gives me breath.
If He is the One my eyes are fixed on, then of course they will also be fixed on others. After all, He called me to love Him and love others. Being an upside-down blogger satisfies my need to please my readers.
But there was a piece of the purpose that God revealed to me even further as I focused on my place in the blogging world. Yes, I write for Him. And yes, I write for others. But I discovered another way God is using this blog in my life.
I discovered that He uses my writing to heal me.
“He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.” Job 12:22
Through my writing God searches my heart (Psalm 139:23) and brings to light not just sin in my life, but the connection of dots between my struggles and my past. And as I search scripture to verify my thoughts, He reveals truth to me.
So maybe for some reasons I do write for myself, not directly, but indirectly so that God can continue to use it to bring my dark places to light. Dark places that I may never even reveal to the readers, but the places that I know about, the places that have become my holes.
The Temptation During Breaking
Over the past month I have kept loosely involved with the blog world. I have read some other blogs and participated some on Facebook. There were times that I wondered if taking a break was a bad idea. Were my readers going to stop reading? Was it going to be too hard to “catch up”? Would I miss out on some opportunities?
The answer to each of these questions is yes. Taking a break is risky, and it does require sacrifice. I focused on focusing – focusing on what was best for my family, my readers, and most importantly God. There were times when I missed out on participating in link-ups or writing exercises or guest posts, but by focusing I came out of it with a clearer purpose and a calmer spirit.
I am happy that my blogging break has ended, and I am excited to see all that God has in store for the future of Triple Braided. If you haven’t noticed I moved from Blogger to WordPress which was a feat in and of itself. (I will write more about that soon too!) This week I will also be sharing my new purpose for Triple Braided and some very exciting news. I hope you will join me!
Have you ever felt called to take a break from something – blogging or otherwise? What did you learn from the experience? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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