Why I am Blogging....Instead of Updating My Status

Writing has always been therapeutic for me.  Sometimes I write things down, and then I throw it away. No one ever reads it but me, yet the mere act of writing it down is all that I need.  It started as a little girl. I kept a diary, and I even- dare I say it- dabbled in poetry. Boy, am I thankful that technology wasn't around then....if my ode to Rick Springfield or my sonnet about Ralph Macchio and the other cast members of The Outsiders made its way to the internet for others to read, I would be mortified. From pen pal letters to college essays, sitting down to write something new has always been scary and exciting.

So naturally I would be interested in blogging, and, in fact, for years I have been intrigued by (and somewhat jealous of) the mom-bloggers I follow. They seemed to have mastered the art of mom-ing and wife-ing and all the other -ings I want to be  successful at. Not only that but they could so eloquently share their experiences, making all of their -ings seem so easy. That is what I wanted to do too, but there was a problem.  My -ings weren't easy and kept me so busy that I couldn't imagine adding one more thing to my "to do" list. I more often than not feel like I am failing at my responsibilities, and no one wants to watch (or read about) a train wreck.

But two years have passed since I first became interested in blogging. I have experienced loss, excitement, disappointment, happiness, and a multitude of other emotions that life has delivered. With all of them, I wanted to write about what I was feeling, but the busyness of life kept me from it. So now I am.

Why blog, right?  Why not just make a quick post on social media about my daily victories or defeats and move on? That's what most people do, and I could use the extra time to do my other -ings, like grading papers, folding laundry, or bathing kids.

I choose not to post my life musings on social media for several reasons.  The first reason is simply that I want to try this blog thing. It is on my bucket list, along with meeting Mark Wahlberg and visiting Hawaii.  I also want to blog as a way to be considerate of others.  Yes, that's right! I don't want to irritate the people on my friends list.  No one wants to open Facebook to see my dissertation on the latest event I find significant enough to write about. You know I am right. How many times have you scrolled past a post of a friend- and rolled your eyes- because the post was more than a paragraph in length? We all have those friends who will write an essay about their trip to Walmart. Well, I refuse to be that friend (you're welcome.)

On a more serious note, God convicted me.  Recently, the Holy spirit began to deal with me about three specific things concerning social media: my spirit, my time, and my motives.  The bible says this:

"I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless."

Psalm 101:3

"Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness." 

Ephesians 5:11 

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness  of mind let each esteem others better than himself."  

Philippians 2:3

2 Timothy 3:2 explains that in the last days people will love themselves, and Romans 12:2 reminds us to not be conformed to this world. However, social media makes it easy to forget these warnings. We tend to look for validation in how many "likes" or "retweets"  we get, and before we know it, our time is consumed with checking our approval rating on these sites. We get wrapped up in the social media personas we have created that, let's face it, are not even close to the hot mess that our lives really are. We (unintentionally) read foul language and see inappropriate pictures posted by others, and it truly affects our spirit. We also neglect duties and responsibilities, and more importantly ignore people sitting right in front of us.  All that the scripture warns us about happens without us even realizing it.  If I am not careful, my time on social media hinders a closer walk with God and distracts me from my duties as a mom, wife, teacher, and friend.

So those are the reasons I choose to blog. I can write about it and walk away, and no one has to see it who doesn't want to. I can vent, reflect, contemplate and then go to bed. It will be my little dairy without a key.  (And I don't lose my Jesus in the process.)

So I will now set out on this blogging journey, and who knows how it will go!  It may only last as long as my very brief fascination with scrapbooking, but at least it won't be as expensive.