Have you ever had an interruption in a well-laid plan? Have you ever been going along great with some discipline and then your world gets turned upside-down? All that discipline and planning goes right out the window. Then at some point you are supposed to get back in the saddle. How on earth are you going to do that? Here’s the #1 key to getting back in the saddle.
It’s good to be back on the web. The break was needed, but seems like it went a little too long for my taste. Thanks for your patience with me.
When I started the break, our Monday posts on God’s Way for Our Lives was starting a series on learning to love ourselves properly. I’m glad to get back to that. However, before we take up our look at the definition of Love in I Corinthians 13, I just want to share a victory with you. It shows this blogging thing is helping me out just like I wanted it to.
Before I started looking at this biblical concept that we are allowed to love ourselves, I would have beat myself to death trying to maintain this blog even through all the turmoil of making the move. That might have meant putting some family issues to the side. It would surely have meant missing out on some time with my children and wife, which was so needed as I was leading them through this transition. It probably would have meant sleepless nights and grumpy Dad. Or, I might have grudgingly caved on the blogs but hated myself for not having the stamina to keep it up. I would have trashed myself, probably even on this blog in order to try to make me feel better about what I would have seen as a colossal failure.
However, I’ve learned that love is patient and love is kind. I’m allowed to be patient with myself. Just because I can’t do everything I want to be able to do, doesn’t mean I need to belittle myself, talk down to myself, despise myself. I’m also allowed to be kind to myself. The fact is, in a transition like a move, something is going to have to give. It is not normal life. It’s okay to let things go for the sake of my sanity. I don’t have to beat myself up for going through a special season.
I’m so thankful for the liberty from stress this recognition that I’m allowed to love myself by being patient with myself and kind to me is bringing. I’m so thankful that I’m able to jump back into this blog without all the feelings of shame for having to break for multiple months. I’m so glad I have God’s word to guide me and help me have peace and serenity through God’s love, knowing that God loves me whether I blog or not. I’m allowed to love me too.
This is a huge victory for me. It means God’s word really is impacting my outlook on life and His peace is guarding my heart and mind. Thank you, God, for that protection. Please, keep it up.
I hope you can keep joining me on our Monday posts to learn more about properly loving ourselves so we can love others properly as well.
Remember, God’s way works.
This week, I have to offer an apology. I guess I thought my 10-year-old son wouldn’t get around to reading my blog ever and so last week wasn’t too worried about using our great moment as an example. I’m still thankful for the example we got to share, but I apparently embarrassed my son. I don’t ever want to do that.
So, I encourage you to learn from my mistake and be really, really careful when you use your family as an example. The best bet is to get permission first.
Anyway, to Ethan:
Thank you for reading my blog.
Thank you for being willing to share your emotions with me.
I’m sorry for embarrassing you. I hope you can forgive me.
Today’s springboard for your professional life is a guest post by Bill Seaver of MicroExplosion Media. He has been a big springboard for me and my blog. I wanted to give him the opportunity to be a springboard for you. Thanks for this, Bill.
By the way, after his post, I’ve added in a couple of interviews Bill conducted with clients of his. These are great intros to blogging and how blogging can be a real springboard for your professional life. The first is with a CPA, the second a gunsmith. Check them out.
Enjoy!
I’d like to thank Edwin for the opportunity to provide this guest post on his blog. As I’ve gotten to know Edwin over the last several months, I have been very impressed with his ability to turn out good content on a regular basis. He was born to blog.
Most people won’t have as much to say as a prolific blogger like Edwin; they could think that makes them unqualified or unable to blog. I don’t buy that. The guy who has eight things to say a week may appear to be a better blogger than someone who only blogs once a week, but quantity doesn’t trump quality.
It’s easy to be intimidated by someone who’s prolific, but there is no reason to. Some high output bloggers, like Edwin, have the unique gift of quantity and quality, but that is an exception. Most people who are too focused on high quantity posts tend to produce poor quality posts. One really good post a week is much better than five average posts. The key is having something to say that’s really valuable to the people you want to reach and not just saying something because you feel like you’re due to blog again.
So how will you know if you have something valuable to say? Start with these:
The bottom line is to focus on great content. Great content in small doses is much better than average content in large doses. I think a portion of a C.S. Lewis quote (out of context) is pretty fitting here. Don’t settle “like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
