Well, that didn't go as planned. I gave it a week and after 125 people clicked over to see how I wanted to Do Something, four people commented with the name of a charity that was trying to do something. I had planned to donate money and I will. I'll check back at the end of the month and randomly choose a charity to receive $50 from the comments at that time.
In the meantime, I've learned a few lessons this week:
1. I need to stop trying so hard - People will read this page if they really want to know what I have to say. Otherwise, I just need to stop pestering people.
2. I'm not Matt Walsh - That is to say, I'll never be the kind of blogger who impacts multitudes of people. I will never have a lot of people reading what I write, I won't make a big difference on the world, and that's okay. I make a difference to the immediate people around me, and that's enough.
3. I need to stick to writing for my kids - When I started, I wanted to transcribe the fun and the funny, kind of like an online scrapbook. I realize that I have tried to make this more than it intended to be.
4. Numbers don't matter - I need to stop looking at numbers. They don't matter. People matter. If I can make a difference to people, just the small handful around me, then I am doing a Good thing.
~
I want to apologize...
If it seemed like I was trying to get bigger, well, I probably was. I'm sorry for that. I won't use my readers to try to generate more blog traffic.
I have removed any ads that I could from my page. I never made any money from them anyway.
I'm not planning on updating my blog's Facebook page. It rarely generated any meaningful conversation. I will, in fact, be removing it.
I will continue to write about our life as a family as we learn, love, and laugh together.
If you want to walk with us, please continue to do so. We're happy to have you along the way.
#2 - Ouch. Let me suggest one thing--don't say "never". You do not really know whether the Lord will give you a much larger audience in the long-term, you only know that He hasn't chosen to do so NOW.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing, my friend. Your writing is entertaining and insightful.
Thank you for your perspective. You are, of course, correct. I have no idea what God has planned. I'll just plod along serving as best as I can, trying to keep my Self out of it and putting more of Him into it... Easier said than done.
DeleteI've got something I need to write-up that SORT OF pertains to all of this. A little lesson I learned several weeks back, and for which I am no longer "smarting". There's something in your writing here that really reminded me of it, but especially #2.
DeleteUpon reading my comments again, I don't think I said what I wanted to say very well. Attempt #2.
I can understand #2 too personally. However, the Lord may intend to increase your audience (clearly, this part we've already discussed :) ). If He does, this may be the moment He has been waiting for--the "aha" moment of your own cognizance. I, for one, have had my run ins with "audience envy", as I call it. That is, a desire for a broader audience, but, more specifically, an envy of the audiences of others. I look at folks who are large in audience, wonder what it is that they have that I do not, and find myself grousing in envy.
After a series of little messages, which is the way I find the Lord deals with me best, it dawned on me--I had Audience Envy. That was the moment at which I began to repent of my desire to be "larger", to thank God for the audience I already have, and to endeavor to serve the audience I possessed, rather than the one I wanted to possess. Of course, like most such things, I've had to spend moment in repentance about it along the way since, but... it was (and is) refreshing for me to sit back, say "Thank you, Father, for the audience you have given me", and to move on.
Okay... now I've said too much.
Blessings!
M
Hmm, I'll have to think on that. My initial inclination is to say that I don't have Audience Envy, per se, but that I want to make more of a difference. I think my lesson in all this (and I'll have to keep thinking on it, of course) is that I need to devote myself to my family, at least for the time being. Don't let this blog (and any potential readership) distract me from guiding the minds of the people God has placed in my lap.
DeleteI do think I have good things to share, which is why I will continue to write... That and I just can't help it. ;-) But I won't push it on anyone who isn't inclined to read it otherwise.
As usual, dear niece, your blog entry was well-written & great food for thought. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to help you out in your recent quest, because I can only afford to help out the furthering of the Gospel in the community where I worship our Lord (even then I cannot donate regularly).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the communication between you & Mark above. It's always great to read Mark's comments in Facebook when replying to you. And, again here, he has given some wise counsel.
Oh dear... You are the second person in the last few hours who has said something about not wanting to donate their funds as my blog asks them to... My main purpose was in asking others to comment on charities that they would like ME to donate money to. And then, of course, if others feel compelled, that's great... But the main idea was to create awareness of different organizations who are doing good work.
DeletePlease, don't think that I was trying to get my readers to donate their money to my suggested organization. I was trying to generate some discussion, some interest, and look for a place to allow my own pocket-book to make a difference.