Stepping Out In Faith: Lessons From A Newbie Blogger

It’s official. I’ve been a “blogger” for a quarter of a year – 92 days, 23 (24 with this one) posts, 31 followers, 1,346 views, 80 likes, 48 comments. [That’s right, fools. I can see when you creep my blog but don’t leave any hints as to who you are! Chat with me; I want to connect!]

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Starting a blog was a big leap of faith for me. God asked me to do it but I had no clue why or how to even begin. It’s been quite the journey already! I have gotten more in to The Word and deepened my relationship with Jesus while writing – and maybe that’s the sole purpose of this blog. No matter the reason for it, I’ve learned a few things about stepping out in faith to do the seemingly foolish things God asks us to do. That’s what I’d like to share with you on my 3 Month Blog-iversary.

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1. Use your gifts…

…even if you don’t know what they are or why you have them or what good they might do.

God has given us each unique gifts – expressing through written word, taking amazing photographs, being able to hit the high notes, or just being a damn good mom. I have no clue as to why He didn’t just give all of us all of the gifts, but He didn’t. It’s easy to be so wrapped up in someone else’s gifts that we forget our own (a struggle I have reflected in this post:  As Her). Sometimes we don’t realize that we even have “gifts” – we just think of them as hobbies, things we’re naturally decent at, or things that hold our interest for more than 8 minutes. Whatever the case may be, you have those interests and talents for a reason. I shared a story in my post As Working for the Lord about a guy who uses his gift of welding(!) to bring glory to God. The Designer created us for certain purposes and we will only be our most useful when we fill the role we were made for.

2. Be courageous. 

Taking my faith (and struggles) to such a public platform took guts to begin with. Promoting it was even scarier – the devil whispers each time: “Why would anyone want to read this? Stop cluttering people’s newsfeeds.” Although I’ve had my qualms, this leap of faith has had amazing benefits.

Writing about my everyday struggles from behind a computer screen has been an in-person conversation starter that allows me to praise Jesus on a public platform for the  amazing things He has taught me and brought me through. I’ve connected with and witnessed to people I don’t know all that well and would have never had the courage to talk with before. Words I didn’t even know I knew and thoughts I’ve never had pour out of my very soul – all directed from someone much smarter than me. When God asks us to step out in faith we are not relying on our own abilities; we are simply letting His light shine through us. We don’t have to fear stepping on to the water when Jesus walks beside us.

3. Get some support.

Because it takes so much courage to step out in faith, I recommend rallying the troops. I knew I had heavenly backing – the Big Man asked me to do this in the first place – but I also asked God to show me His support here on earth. I have been disappointed to find that the people I thought would validate me on this journey simply don’t. But I have also found that people I did not necessarily expect have been supportive beyond my imagination. From the friends who read (and sometimes edits) nearly every post, to the girl I have never been able to connect with before, to the random people in various blog groups (yes, that’s a real thing) – I cannot thank God enough for showing me His support through these earthly sisters. Thank you to all who have showed their support through simply relating to me – those who have lost someone like I have, read like I have, prayed like I have, been single like I have, and struggled to be patient like I have.

When you’re putting yourself out there it is important to have someone who recognizes the path you’re on, keeps you honest about it, and respects the crap out of you for following it. Find them, be them.

4. Get some rest.

I’ve learned to never hit “Publish” when I’m super tired. Doing so puts me at risk for a high(er) amount of error – both grammatically and in terms of not getting the message across as I had hoped. We need rest to perform at the level that God intends us to. I wavered on including this reflection, but I remembered that I have some amazing mom friends out there who need to know it’s not just OK, it’s GOOD for you to take some mom-time.

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Those are just a few of the things I have learned from blogging so far. But I don’t think that’s the end. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I know that God is going to do something BIG with this mustard seed.

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“Gift” Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash; “Friend” Photo by Asaf R on Unsplash; Other photos by me; Photo editing done by me on Canva