I know some days, I write about fluff, or how to do something crafty or I share a recipe to try. But to me, that's not all blogging is about. Sure, it's fun and silly at times, but I think it carries a responsibility too. Blogging is a platform to get a message out, to have people stop and listen, to tell them something they might not otherwise hear, and to hope it makes an impact. The biggest waste of blogging, in my opinion, is to have thousands of followers and millions of pageviews, but never get past outfits and cookies and DIY projects. To never go deeper is to miss out on a huge opportunity to share something amazing with someone (or lots of someones) who may need to hear it.
Through the years I've included heavier topics along with the light, fun ones. And today, in celebration of the milestone, I'm looking back at some of the posts that weren't so fun to write, that took effort and guts and heartache. These are the posts that to me, really meant something. Something more than clicks and pageviews. They are my heart on a page, a story I am thankful I can share, I message that I want to spread, and I look forward to writing more.
From the Top 10 Most-Read Posts: What I Learned From... Unknowingly Befriending a Sex Offender
This post was important to me because it was an opportunity to share a vital message of protection and safety for children. I learned some important things through my experience and I wanted to make sure I shared the lessons, hoping to spare at least one child from harm.
From the Top 10 Most-Read Posts: Life Right Now: What I'm Learning About Plans and Faith
Sometimes lessons are hard to learn, sometimes they hurt. Heck, sometimes life hurts. I was so glad to be able to share my life and lessons I was learning through this post last year. And I was thankful for the support of those around me. [This follow-up post was an honest look at how I was dealing with the changes a few months later, and a message I needed to hear.]
From the Top 10 Most-Read Posts: How 7 Words Should Shape Youth Ministry and the Church
Two topics that make people cringe: sex and church, now together. So this post wasn't just about sex, but I did talk about the subject of premarital teen sex in this post. I was so sick of hearing all the wrong things people thought the church should do with this issue, and thus, this post was born.
Judgement, Planks and One Universal Truth & Accountability, Trees and Hope for Messed Up People
These posts turned into a two-part series looking at touchy "Christian-y" topics like judgementalism and accountability, two things that sometimes seem to be the same but are so vastly different. One, judgementalism, isn't our job. The other, accountability, absolutely is our job, along with finding the line between the two.
When You Believe Every Human Life is Sacred
This post didn't just talk about the issue of abortion, it was about the entire issue: the sanctity of every human life. Because if you look at history, the issue started small, but steadily grew into what we encounter today. And until we go back to the most basic level, things will never change.
And a few more:
Life Revelations, A Few Years Later
The Descent
We Run the World
For the Extremely Driven
Thank you, friends, family, and random readers, for your love and support over the years, and for reading these words in my little corner of the world!
2 comments:
Congrats, Elise! Keep writing!
Thanks, Molly! :)
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