After an exhilarating two-mile walk on this warm and sunny afternoon—up and down hills, past blossoming pink dogwoods, blooming tulips of all colors, and spring green trees all set against dark ponderosa pines—I’m ready to sit down to share with you a new step in a long journey.
I’m so seeking the LORD on what it means for me to blog. Not an easy decision or venture because if you are as inundated with e-mail news, good and worthy causes, and lots of junk mail, as I am, who has time to read one more thing!? Who even cares?
So, I asked the LORD, as I basked in His sweet sun shining grace this Sunday afternoon, “What on earth can I blog about that is valuable enough for anyone to read? Do You even want me to blog? I know I cannot do this without You breathing Your life and words through me, so I’m asking You for that breath.”
I listened. . . and He did breathe through His still, small voice deep inside my heart and mind:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27.
I knew I must trust Him to give me words to write and that I will hear him and follow Him.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm119:105.
Always, His Word lights the path before me. It will not be a flare to light up the whole valley, but it will give me enough light for each step.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.
I can trust the light and power of His Word to guide my heart and my thoughts. It will reveal my motives for writing and purify them and direct them in ways that will draw me and those who join me to Himself. I can trust His Word to do that in and through me.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.
He reminded me that just as He did not design any two snowflakes alike, He did not design any two people alike. Each of us occupy one place in the universe that only we inhabit. No one else, past, present, or future can take our place. Each of our stories reveal God in a way that no one else can reveal Him. Therefore, I can trust that writing from my life circumstances and my personality will fill a place, a valuable place that no one else can fill no matter how many writers fill our mail boxes and book shelves, and book stores, and publishing houses. I cannot let the enemy convince me that I’m just a nobody, an insignificant blip on the screen and that I better not waste my time or anyone else’s time by writing. So many lies keep us from following Jesus and doing what He gives us to do. So much shame and so many accusations to paralyze our spiritual walk and fruitfulness.
I already know I cannot write to you out of my own human wisdom and understanding. Paul says, “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” 1 Corinthians 1:20.
But, God has given to us who believe, His Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth and who lives in us (see John 16:13; 2 Timothy 1:14).
My body is actually the temple of the Holy Spirit of God, who lives within me, whom I’ve received from God. I’ve been bought by the precious blood of the Lamb of God to do His will, not my own. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
I can trust God’s Spirit within me to guide, inspire, motivate, and enable the melding together of God’s Word with my life.
However, the enemy still spreads doubt in my mind about blogging. He reminds me that I still am affected by my Old Adamic nature—prideful, selfish, fearful, insecure, corrupt. . . he also strikes fear into my heart that he will seek to thwart, distract, and deceive me any way he can. He reminds me of how weak and sinful and ignorant I am, hissing, “Who are you to write to anyone?!”
Once again the power of God’s Word and His Holy Spirit come to my aid saying, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ Jesus and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14.
As I walked through my neighborhood today, the fragrance of spring blossoms filled the air. I even stopped to drink in the aroma of lilacs planted beside the way. Oh to be the aroma of Christ to those God places in my life, and to you who read what He gives me to write!
I listed seven things God impressed upon me today concerning a decision to blog. First, His Word is my light. Secondly, He will reveal Himself through His Word as it relates to my life through my unique design. Thirdly, He gave me His Holy Spirit to breath through me. However, four and five were tough. I still have to contend with my old selfish, prideful, corrupt human nature, and I have the enemy who lies to me and tries to deceive me. I asked God what I needed to do about that.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
So numbers six and seven followed with a burst of insight and encouragement. When I am weak, I am strong because God’s power rests upon me. His power will be made evident through my weakness. Lastly, I can even boast in my weakness because through my weakness God’s strength, love, and grace will be revealed to others
So, there I have it. In my blogging, I can vulnerably reveal my weaknesses, my failures, my sins and in so doing, God’s amazing love and grace can be revealed to others. In spite of and even because of my weaknesses, God’s Word will prove true, steadfast, and faithful through the stories of my life.
His Holy Spirit so sweetly reminded me from 2 Corinthians 4:7 that I have an amazing treasure in a common clay pot. I am that common clay pot and Jesus Christ is the treasure within me. You will see my human frailty through my forthcoming stories, but that is so you will never get mixed about who is the one to glorify because God says, “You have this treasure in a jar of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from you.” (see 2 Cor. 4:7).
Dusk falls on this spring day as the sun begins its descent over a bright horizon. Birds twitter among the full bodied trees and blossoms. I get up to close the patio door against the cooling evening air and return to my cozy rocker and laptop. My heart quiets itself in the presence of a Holy God who so faithfully answers prayer. Whoever God calls to journey with me, I pray for you. I fervently pray that He will bless us together with more and more of His gracious, loving, gentle, forgiving, wonderful Self. Pray for me too. . . that He will carry me along by His love, grace, and power.

My grandchildren always ask, “Gramma, tell us a story of when you were a kid.” So I tell them. They now have their favorites and ask again, and I say, “But I told you that one before.” They say, “Tell it again!” There’s many stories and I plan to begin near the beginning and weave God’s grace and goodness into each one.

Love and prayers for you,

Jeannie