allume

real light living

Sometimes God Says “Leave”

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From the very first time I hit the publish button in blogger I felt as if I’d found my calling.  I was sharing things that people actually wanted to read about.  This was unusual to me because I thought the things I liked really didn’t matter. 

 

It was easy for me to put my desires and dreams on hold or not think about them because no one ever encouraged me to put it out there.  Blogging changed those views.  The blogging community encouraged me to be me without regrets.

 

As the time crept closer to my blogging anniversary things began to change.  I felt lost.   I no longer felt purpose in what I was doing and I became discouraged because I hadn’t attained all of my blogging goals.

 

Perhaps my discontent stemmed from the dwindling comments or the drop in traffic. I was no longer happy with the quality of work that I was producing.  Feelings of envy and resentment were stirring around in my spirit and it left me feeling worthless. 

 

God began to speak.  My intentions were called out and my heart was convicted.  Out of three hundred posts written in the course of a year, one would have to do some serious digging to figure out I was a Christian.  

 

Why didn’t this occur to me before?  I shared everything else about my life but I rarely talked about the goodness of Jesus.  I didn’t think that my readers would care.  To be quite honest I was scared of offending and scaring off my readers.

 

That was the problem.  I was focused more on the needs of my readers than the needs of my soul.  More focused on my problems, my life, and my adventures than considering how God wanted me to use this tool to minister to others.

 

I decided to take a break from blogging, fast, pray, and seek direction from the Lord.  It didn’t take long for me to gain some.  God eventually spoke LEAVE into my spirit.

 

God asked me to LEAVE my former blogging identity behind and blog for Him.  I tried for a few months to incorporate subjects involving my faith into my former blog although my spirit remained unsettled.

 

I was trying to incorporate His command into what I already had going on.  I ignored the parts that were too uncomfortable for me because I didn’t want to lose all the work I’d put into building my brand.

My previous blog was all about my glory, The Scott’s Crib.  It was a reflection of a selfish point I had reached in my life.   In order to submit to His will I had to completely LEAVE my old blogging identity behind..

 

One morning as I rose peace settled within my spirit as I realized what I had yet to do.  I took the time that day to LEAVE and move forward.Without further hesitation I gave my blog an overhaul and changed my domain name.  

 

As I typed in my new domain my palms became sweaty because I knew that this meant I was truly starting over.  All of the guest posting and those previously coveted pins on Pinterest would be gone. My former identity in the blogging world would be gone with the push of a button.

 

This step was crucial and I couldn’t continue to ignore it.  God changed Abraham’s name when he told him to leave his country and that he would bless him greatly.  

God told me to leave my old blogging identity so that I could gain peace and move forward with His plans for me.


What has God been calling you to leave behind?

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

 

Latoya is a work at home mom of a precious two year old, married to her husband of three years.  She is learning to yield to God’s mighty hand and following Him into the destiny which He has prepared.  She blogs at A Peaceful Crib where she is content on living out Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  You can follow her on Facebook here.

 
 

Comments

  1. How awesome for you Latoya! Thanks for being transparent. Maybe it’s something about the 1-yr blogging mark because as I approach mine, I’m just like Lord search my heart and intentions with this blog and whatever isn’t of you, take it away. I always enjoy reading these allume posts.

    • Those were my similar prayers to Him as well. I pray that you will find your peace with blogging as well:) Thanks so much Kacey as always:)

  2. Great words!! One of my life lessons is “let go of the “good” to grab hold of the “BETTER”! That’s what God prompted you to do! Praise Him, you heard His voice!

  3. You GO girl! I find this type of blogging is much more time-consuming and painful, but so much more fruitful for my soul! Hang in there, even when you’re tempted to give up. The Lord is producing peaceful fruit and a harvest of righteousness. Grace to you!

    • Thank you Lindsey. It is indeed more time consuming and I don’t blog as much as I used too but I find that when I write when there is something He wants me to say I am more at peace with whether or not it “meets” or “does not” meets “blogging standards”.

  4. Way to go! You are amazing and brave! Thank you for this encouragement to leave behind what God is asking you to. It’s a message that really resonates with me:)

    • Thank you Mandy, I’m glad that my testimony is blessing you as well as others here:)

  5. That leap of faith is so scary, isn’t it?! I’m so glad for you that you did. We just can’t find contentment and happiness being untrue.

    I was really surprised at how similar our stories are. I was a new Christian when I started my blog. I asked similar questions: Should I include my faith, and possibly offend long time friends and family, or not mention my faith at all, and possibly offend my new Christian brothers and sisters?

    Just like you, my blog withered on the vine, producing no fruit.
    After much prayer and nudging, I began again, throwing caution to the wind. Faith is just too much a part of who I am for it to be left out of my writing. It is foundational for the personal growth, for the practice of gratitude and the discovery of joy in our lives that I advocate for all my readers.

    Thanks so much for sharing. This point cannot be driven home enough to women who want to blog or are blogging!

    • Thank you so much. I love hearing others speak up about their similar struggles. It just goes to show that when you let things go and obey God that the things He lays on your heart truly does come to someone at just the right time. That’s why it’s so important to heed His call:)

  6. Bravo Latoya! So glad that God spoke to your heart and you listened! 🙂 This is an AWESOME reminder for me to not give up what the purpose of my blogging was at the beginning…to be transparent and to listen to His call and promptings. Super post!

    • Don’t you though? They are uncomfortable but when you submit there is so much peace and you wished you would have listened sooner:)

  10. What a great post! It’s an almost constant battle for me to not be jealous when another friend starts blogging and interacting with “my” communities, or comparing myself to a blogger who has sudden “success” when I still feel invisible – pretty obvious signs that I’m taking entirely too much credit for a God given gift & not focusing on glorifying God in those situations. Thank you for this reminder to refocus!

    • You’re welcome Sarah, stay encouraged in the Lord on your blogging journey:)

  12. Thank you for sharing your journey. Just a couple of weeks ago I was getting upset because of a decrease in traffic, unreturned blog comments, etc. But God had to get in my face and remind me who is getting the glory from this anyways. It’s a constant battle, but one I always want to have Him win.

  13. Wow, Latoya…that’s a powerful lesson! I love how you walked right through that fear and into the new future God has for you. Awesome!

  14. Wow! I could have written this very post. I have blogged for over two years and struggled to find my blogging identity. I blogged about natural living, and crafts, and homeschooling, and all sorts of things, but rarely about my faith, which was really what came most natural to me to write about. So about 3 months ago, I gave it up and started completely over. I am now writing about faith, motherhood, art, and life and it feels so right. Thank you for your words and encouragement!

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