why I blog

I've been reading lots of posts lately about Jon Acuff and how his thoughts on social media have really affected the way many of my favorite mom bloggers think. There's the whole struggle of making, not forcing, memories (i.e. do we really need to take pictures of every single moment in our child's life, especially if the only thought running through our mind is "this would be great blog content!"). And then there's the time we spend reading, writing and responding to blog posts while a hungry toddler pulls on our legs (and we've all thought "up from your nap already?!?! I was just getting settled on the couch to catch up on blogs!") Of course, it's also hard to not play the keeping-up-with-the-mommy-blog-Joneses game ("Ugh, I want her kitchen" or "ugh, why does she get to stay home" or "ugh, her husband is so romantic"). This whole blogging thing is just so complicated sometimes.

There are lots of reasons why I personally choose to blog. I'd be lying if I said that there weren't moments where I probably should have been doing something other than blogging (cooking dinner, talking to the husband, cleaning the house - the list goes on), but for me, blogging is free therapy. And so much more.

I love documenting our family's life, and in an age where so much is digital, it's just easier to record milestones and random memories online. It's an easy way to keep friends and family members in the loop without constantly spamming them - if you want to know what Thatcher is up to, read the blog. If not, don't. Either way, the option is theirs.

But the real reason I come back to blogging again and again is for connectivity and friendship. More specifically, I think it's so important and therapeutic to realize that we're not alone in this life. We are not the only ones trying to figure out how to get our toddler to eat finger food or make the transition from bottle to sippy cup. We are not the only ones struggling with working or staying at home mom guilt or trying to make time for friends, our marriage and family all in one day. And, when we're facing something painful, we are not alone in that either. Whatever we're grappling with, someone else has walked that road before. The challenge is that we can't always find these people among our "real life" friends, which is why I think so many of us find solace in blogging.

This really hit me yesterday when I received an email from another blogger's husband. Without getting too specific, he said, "I would like to thank you for all the support you have given my wife ...... Your conversations with her about her recent misfortunes help her through these tough times. Our family is truly indebted to you and we appreciate your support." Wow.

I have often wondered what God would think about blogging. Does He think that sometimes we're too focused on the screen and not enough on our family? Does He want us to spend more time offline? Yesterday I decided that no, no He does not. He created blogging as another means of ministry, a way to connect with and support other human beings. Of course, I think there is a limit to this and we shouldn't be buried in our computers all the time. That said, I can truly say that I have received a lot of support, guidance and uplifting prayer from other bloggers. It has been an outlet for me when my day-to-day friends were in a totally different place than me. Friendship is sacred to me, and I value every single one of my friends for who they are and where they are in life. But the reality is that sometimes we're walking a road or thinking about something that no one we know can relate to. And I think that's where blogging can be a really beautiful and wonderful thing.

I was humbled by the email I received yesterday, and it was almost as if I felt like blogging had a much bigger purpose. A piece of scripture I sent to another blogger prompted a response from her husband. To me, that is reason enough to continue to spend time blogging.