Creating a blog feels like joining a world of silent competition. Like you’re competing against every other blog writer on the internet, wanting everyone to read your blog, comment on your blog, like your blog. You look for things to make your blog stand out. To let everyone know that you’re the best blog writer out there, and that what you write about is different and so much better than what every other person writes about.
I’m a Christian, so I’m supposed to be different…or at least that’s what everyone tells me. I’m not supposed to compare myself to others, or be jealous of what other people have. I need to find my identity and worth in Christ alone, not in the popularity of my blog. And yet, that’s exactly where I’ve found myself. In a popularity contest where I’m the only competitor, and I’m losing.
Since this blog came to life, I’ve found myself checking it multiple times every day, looking for new subscribers, or how many people have read a certain post. Have I passed 200 views? I wonder how many people laughed at that line. Why hasn’t anyone commented? How can I convince more people to subscribe?
Who am I competing against? I can’t look at how many views other people’s posts have. I don’t know how many people have subscribed to their posts. I’m caught in a competition with people who aren’t even playing the same game I am.
I’m so concentrated on this pretend popularity contest, I haven’t even thought about what this blog should mean to me, or the people reading it. I haven’t thought to pray. To pray that the people who need to hear my story would click on it. That people would be reading and possibly be moved to help support me. That through having to process my thoughts in this way, I would start to realize the gravity of what the Lord has called me to.
I pray that I would stop comparing myself to the people who I imagine are doing better than me. I pray it for my friends and teammates as well, that we would all stop comparing our journeys to the journeys of those around us, but instead appreciate the fact that our paths look different, and so do our number of subscribers.
Would you join me? Would you pray that all of us on World Race September Route 1 (and every route) would realize that our worth is found in Jesus Christ, and not the number of comments we receive on a given post? Please pray for boldness, as we step out in faith to ask humbly for support, acknowledging that we cannot reach our goals alone. And lastly, please pray for provision. That our God would provide all we need and more, and that He would absolutely wow us with how He does it.
“Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
