This blogging thing is hard ya'll. On the one hand, it gives me the space to open up and share a bit of myself with the world, which in a way brings healing and is very cathartic for me. But on the other hand it can sometimes feel like I am in a cage; a dancing monkey trying to please the crowd. I'm not saying that I write for attention (although maybe I do, because who writes a blog and hopes that nobody reads it), but I definitely struggle to walk the line between wanting to be true to myself and honestly share what's really going on with me, and not wanting to share too much because I know that people are actually reading this now and many of those people I see in my every day life (which is pretty uncomfortable and yet also really awesome at the same time... if that makes sense)!
To be honest, there was a time when I blogged and nobody knew about it. Because of that I could write anything and say anything because nobody knew I was sharing it. In a way that was nice, but it was also kind of silly. In fact I probably should have just had a journal that I left out on the table at my house for anyone to read, considering more people probably would have felt the desire to read that than were reading my blog. But I made the choice to write online... and I continue to do so because I want people to connect with me and to be able to connect with people. I want to know that I am not alone in the world and I long for the chance for someone else to read what I've written and see that they aren't alone either. And the thing is, for that to happen you need to be real....and sometimes being real on here ends up making life a little uncomfortable.
In my real life, in my day to day comings and goings, I don't share the things I write on here with pretty much anybody I come in contact with. It's not that I can't.....it's just that it's awkward and uncomfortable and...well... ain't nobody got time for that! I think as we all grow up, we also all grow accustomed to believing that people don't really want to hear the nitty gritty, deeper stuff of our lives. It's kind of like when someone asks "how are you?" and you can tell right off if they really want to know or if they are just being polite. Most people are just being polite.
I also think the fact that I am a Christian and my faith plays a huge part in what I do and how I live, is in part why I find honestly blogging to be so hard sometimes. Being a Christian automatically places certain standards on you. People have an idea in their heads of what being a "Christian" is and they can't help but place expectations on your because of it (whether or not they themselves are a Christian!). Then, I went a head and added an extra bulls eye to my back by choosing to follow a call to the missions field these two years, so there's a whole nother level to people's expectations of me (at least it feels like it). And in a way, that makes me very cautious about being vulnerable and open.
But when it comes to this whole #Write31Days challenge though, for how hard it's been at times, it has also taught me a lot about myself and ways I still need/want to grow. It's taught me to look more closely at myself and how I am feeling...not just glance over my feelings and then lock them away. It's also made me ask some tough questions of my faith and my relationship with God...good questions, the kind of questions that make what I believe not just a statement but a reality. And so, for has much as some days I "publish" a blog and think, "crap, why did I share that"...there's also a part of me that is excited to see where I go from here and to keep continuing on the journey of blogging honestly. I am determined to see where this road takes me, what God teaches me through it, who I come because of it. So that's what I am going to do....even when these 31 days come to and end...and I hope you'll continue on this journey with me. May we grow together.
No comments:
Post a Comment