Christian Blogger, Are You Making These Fatal Mistakes?

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Dear Christian Blogger,

When my friend Kristin from The Peculiar Treasure shared how blogging is not just her hobby - it's her passion - she struck a chord with me.  I've fallen in love with blogging and hope to make it my long-term ministry.  It really is an amazing platform.  I mean, what else gives you the open-ended opportunity to share about your faith, strengthen other believers, and encourage people around the globe?

As much as I love this amazing thing called blogging, though, I've begun to notice the traps it creates in my life.  As my little blog grows, even slowly, I'm seeing the demands it's placing on me.  And I'll bet other bloggers are struggling with the same things.  So, I have three heart-felt questions to ask you today:

Christian blogger, are you skipping personal time with the Lord in order to meet all of your blogging obligations?

Dear sweet sister in Christ, nothing, absolutely nothing, should ever get in the way of your daily quiet time.  If you're not filling yourself with God's Word, how can you hope to edify others?  If you're not spending time in prayer, how can you encourage your readers to do so?

Spending time with our Savior must come before any blogging endeavor, no matter how noble your post topic might seem.  Ironically, we can't be good mothers without spending time in God's Word for the same reasons.  If we're not filling up on God's Word, we won't be able to fully help our little ones grow in Godliness, either.

Christian blogger, are you shortening quality time with your family due to blogging deadlines?

I hate to admit it, but I find it really easy to just tell my kiddos to play a game or watch Curious George while I finish "this last blogging task" that inevitably leads to "just one more" and then "just one more after that."  I'm finding that I need to consciously set hours - preferably when my littles are napping - to work on my blog.  Once I've used up my time, I need to be done for the day.

Because I enjoy writing so much, this is SUCH a struggle for me!  I love all things writing- and faith-related, so when I get to combine those two things with blogging, choosing to willfully set that hobby-turned-ministry aside is really, really difficult for me!

But my spark plugs need me to be mentally present, not just physically seated in the same room with them.  They need my full attention when they ask me questions and show me their accomplishments.  There can and should be time for me to work on my blog, but I have to limit it in order to be fully present for my kids.  After all, they are my greatest mission field!

Christian blogger, are you evading your Sabbath rest just so you can keep up with the social media demands that blogging brings?

It has become so, so easy today to skip God's commandment to rest.  Stores are now open on Sundays; Amazon will even deliver many items on Sundays via the United States Postal Service!  No one blinks an eye when we work on Sundays.  Not many people notice if you don't take that commanded day of rest.

But God sees.  When we honor Him by taking a day of rest once a week, He is glorified in that.  When we skip this rest, we miss out on something beautiful that God designed as a gift for our benefit.  We're stealing from ourselves a blessing that He longs for us to enjoy.

I recently began setting aside one day a week where I am completely free from my computer (including my phone).  I spend the day reading, napping, and catching up on things that I'm normally too busy to enjoy.  Sure, I'm not being productive in the sense that I'm not writing blog posts or growing my social media presence, but that day of rest has been beneficial in ways I would 't have dreamed of.

I'm able to catch up on reading that encourages my spiritual growth.  I'm catching up on physical rest that I don't get during the rest of the week.  When I return to my blog the next day, I'm more eager than ever to accomplish my tasks.  Most importantly, I'm setting an excellent example for my children to follow.

So, Christian blogger, I have to ask: are you making any of these mistakes?  If so, they may cost you much more than you ever realize right now.  I'm struggling right along with you, and I know that none of us is going to perfectly overcome these stumbling blocks all the time.

But let's work together to keep one another accountable in these areas.  Let's aim for a deeper walk with Christ by being faithful in reading the Word, giving our best time to our families, and in taking our Sabbath rest.  Let's take the blogging world by storm, knowing that we're well-rested and that we have our priorities in order!

Your turn:  What good things in your life get in the way of what's best?  What are your best strategies for overcoming them?

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