5 Ways to Shine the Light When Your Blog Isn’t Faith-Based

As a Christian who blogs about food, I sometimes struggle with the occasional feeling of a lack of spirituality because my blog isn’t very… well… spiritual. It’s about food, you know? The gospel doesn’t always come through clearly in a recipe for chicken or a tutorial on yogurt-making. I actually have seriously considered – more than once – scrapping my food blog and starting over with a more faith-focused blog that concentrates on teaching spiritual things.

But God has clearly shut that door on me – more than once – and stresses on me the importance of being a light where I am. On my food blog. And isn’t that like real life? We aren’t all missionaries, preachers, and Sunday school teachers. Some of us are just normal every day people who love God and share His love in a million different, little ways in the day-to-day minutiae of life.

Here’s the thing: when your blog is not a faith-based blog, you’re going to attract a wider spectrum of people, people who may or may not have had a lot of exposure to God’s Word or the gospel. It’s a great opportunity to show His love to those who haven’t experienced it and may not even know that they’re looking for it. The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light!

So how can you, practically speaking, shed God’s light in the middle of a bunch of recipes, pictures, and tutorials?

Name It

In your Welcome section or About page, make it clear that you are a child of God. Truly, your position in Christ is your identity just as much – or more than – your position as wife, mother, chef extraordinaire, or chief bottle washer. There are a lot of ways to say it that can put the spotlight on it besides just saying, “I’m a Christian”, or “I’m born again” or “I love God”. People have heard those words before and might just skim right over them. Think about what your identity in Christ really and truly means to you, and put it on your bio, front and center. I chose the phrase “redeemed and forgiven by the blood of Christ” because I felt like it encapsulated what it means to me to be a Christian – not that I’m any great person, but that God redeemed me in all my sin.

Testify

A real-life friend of mine writes a personal blog that journals her daily walks and activities. She’s collected quite a following of like-minded folk who enjoy her thoughts and musings. Some of them are fellow Christians; some of them are not. She only has 3 pages on her blog, and one of them is her testimony. I wonder how many people have clicked on that page and read about the gospel for the first time, just out of sheer curiosity? Her light is shining brightly; no hiding under a bushel for her!

Let it Shine

Once you get into the habit, it’s actually not all that difficult to weave the truth of God and His Word into the daily fabric of your blog, whether you’re talking about food or crafts or the latest hot deal. After all, God’s truth is woven through the fabric of our daily lives, so it only makes sense that it would shine through in the words on our blog! Our perspective is of another world, and we shouldn’t be afraid to make that known. As a food blogger with a focus on healthy, whole food, I often reference God’s design in creation that guides my food choices. After all, the Bible says: Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God! Don’t be afraid to say that you went to church or a Bible study, or that you do (or don’t do) XYZ because you want to honor the Lord. Don’t be afraid to boldly proclaim God as your Creator and Lord. It shouldn’t be a secret to your regular readers that you are a committed Christian.

Tame that Tongue

The more followers you have, the more chance you have of coming across someone who disagrees with you. It could be something as simple as the choice of ingredients in your recipe or as profound as your beliefs on sanctification and eternal life, but I can guarantee there is somebody out there who disagrees with you and they will find you. And they will attack you. Or at least that’s how it will feel. But don’t despair! Here is a chance for your light to shine ever brighter, to show the love that Jesus said would mark us as His disciples! Be gentle, be kind, be sweet. Heap coals of fire on their head. Crystal (the Money Saving Mom) is the expert in this regard: I have always admired how she diffuses the crankiest people with her humble spirit, and my desire is to emulate her. (I have a little ways to go. But I’m working on it!)

Put on the Spotlight

Because of the personal nature of blogging, it actually is possible to write a post every now and then that totally veers off the typical subject matter. Your readers are curious about you, and what it is that drives you and motivates you. They’re interested in knowing your thoughts and feelings on a variety of topics besides your latest menu plan or epic craft failure. So give them a taste now and then: write a post that specifically addresses your beliefs or something God has been teaching you lately. One of my bloggy friends typically writes about cheap healthy food – just like me – but she’s not afraid to delve into discussions about her time serving God in Africa, or how her young family celebrates Easter. Far from turning her readers away, those posts actually generate a lot of healthy discussion, and, I think, make her readers feel as if they know her even better.

These five things only scratch the surface of your ability to share the light of God’s love on your niche blog – other ideas come to mind even as I’m typing! But maybe these will inspire you to go shine your light a little brighter. Remember the old kids’ song: “Brighten the corner where you are!”

Do you have a niche blog? How do you shine your light?