The number of comments, page loads or clicks you get each day does not determine your worth.
The amount of guest posts you are asked to write, books you are asked to read, products you are asked to review has nothing to do with your importance.
Your twitter mentions
Facebook shares
Social media likes
Instagram followers or
Subscription readers :
All of it is inconsequential.
And when everyone around you is getting book deals and you sit with a blinking cursor on a white page it does not mean you have nothing to say. You still have a story to tell. You still have something very, very important to say.
Do you believe it?
Maybe you were born to speak to multitudes. Maybe you were born to speak to just a few. But the message is no less important when uttered to 3 than when uttered to 3,000.
The words He gives you, whether they are spoken over coffee or over wine with a solitary soul or they are spoken over a microphone to a crowd, each one is a gift. They are His gift to you.
So let yourself off the hook today and give yourself a measure of grace. Let Him speak your story and let Him speak it loudly. He will draw those close who need to hear.
You can stop worrying who listens. It has no bearing on the incredible miracle that you are.
Do you let social media affect your feelings of worth? How has your story been a gift to you?
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was just checking my stats before I clicked over here. I needed this one today. It’s a reminder I should have taped to my computer, I think. This week, your words have been the perfect medicine for my weary soul. I appreciate the story you tell!
awww! so glad Stephanie! =)
HA! Hahaha! I LOVE this post. Love it, love it, love it. I am just getting my blog up and running… to clarify – my old blog with a recently renewed purpose….. and I confess I too often check my stats instead of just trusting that God will draw those who He wants to hear. But it’s true – He will. And the numbers really don’t matter… We’re not defined by them. Thanks so much for the timely reminder!!!!
Sarah, thanking you from way over here. Truth is beautiful, especially when its wrapped in words from your tender heart. Praying this message is heard by those whose hearts would be touched by this important message, today.
Thank you Elizabeth!
Thank you. #thatisall
thank you dear friend!
Wow. I really needed this today. I was just noticing yet another couple with a story similar to mine getting a book deal and thinking “What about me? I’d like a book deal!” But, reminders like this are necessary. Life, my story even, isn’t about me. And I remember believing with all my heart when my hubby and I started our website that if all the people who were ever impacted by our story were the two of us and our four children then that was enough. It was then 2 years ago, and is still today. Thanks for the reminder.
so true alecia!! so very true.
This is an important thing for us all to remember, Sarah. You just never know who might be impacted by your words. And one person reading and being sincerely touched by your post is so much better than 1,000 people skimming over your post and missing your message altogether. Thanks for reminding us of that! <3
i agree christina! thank you for the encouragement =)
I meant to ask you, where was this photo taken? It looks very much like the tethered balloon at Conner Prairie, near my house.
oh my soul, you have no idea how much i needed to hear that today.
Thank you!
thank you for your comment, Lauren! =)
“He will draw those close who need to hear.”
i’ve pretty much hated blogging for a couple years because of these reasons. i want to love it again; to write what stirs in me, and trust the “He will draw those close who need to hear.”
thanks, sarah.
right? i have to remind myself of this a lot (psst – this was a letter to myself)
miss you friend.
oh, and i’m so sorry you have not felt like writing. i have always loved your words, denise. i love hearing what stirs you =)
Thank you! I struggle sometimes, thinking that no one is listening, but if I’m writing from my heart, with truth, glorifying God with my gift, then it truly doesn’t matter if 2 or 200 people are reading. Thank you for the sweet reminder
you are most welcome, meg. thank you for stopping by this morning!
I was just thinking about my own story and getting some if it down recently. From a recent post: . “It isn’t who I’m trying to be. It’s who I am, the pictures and portraits of where I’ve been, the people I know, and those who love me. This is the making of a life.” I’m all for writing words, but it isn’t the words or who reads that really counts. It is the shared real-life stories, the people…oh the people who know us, love us, and walk through life with us. That is a truly beautiful thing!
yes it is lisa. very well said! =)
thank you i need this reminder. who i am is not found in numbers.
YES! this is it, nicole! thank you. =)
I’ve been giving myself this talk lately about how blogs are kind of like churches. Sometimes I want to be the pastor at the big mega church and have lots of attenders but I would never tell the small country church to close down just because they only have 50 people that go. For those 50, that pastor is vital to communicated God’s message. So I tell myself it is the same with my blog. My blog might be the country church , but for those handful reading, His words are still vital to them. I was thinking of doing a post on this but I think it belongs as a comment here. Thank you for the encouragement.
yes! what a great metaphor amy. it also makes me/us take the responsibility of our message to a greater degree too. thank you for the insightful comment!
I SO needed to read this today! As I get more and more into the blogosphere, I get so caught up in comparing myself with everyone else. I think “How could I be more like this blogger or that blogger” instead of realizing that my strength comes from just being me. And if 1 or 100 people read what I have to say, it’s still my story to tell and no one else could tell that story except for me!
Thanks for sharing. I’m sure this will hit home with a lot of writers today!
i’m so glad alyssa! thank you so much. i agree with you 100%. =)
“It has no bearing on the incredible miracle you are…” I am struggling, watching others grow and succeed, and feeling like I can only belong if my platform is big. And it’s a struggle. I know in my mind what you say is true but I need it to seep into the deepest parts of my heart. Just being honest. Thank you for your words and sweet reminder. Between this post and Kristen’s comment to me today, I’m on the verge of tears realizing how God affirms my heart through your timely words. They are air to me today. And I will continue to write no matter who He sends my way, and will let Him speak my story, and draw those who need to hear. I’m so thankful for you.
thank you friend! so thankful for you and I love what you wrote this morning on incourage. well said!
Very timely, Sarah. It seems there are thousands of us all vying for the same audience. We all have a story to tell about God’s work in our lives. We just need to let Him guide where it goes and how it gets there.
i love it Juile! so true. =)
Thank you, Sarah, for that reminder. I was just thinking back to my journey to motherhood. I always wanted to be a mother. But I married later than a lot of my friends. And then when it was time to start trying, it “didn’t work.” I’d hold other’s babies and be filled with joy for them, but go home and cry. God graciously and miraculously stepped in and we were finally pregnant after a year of doctors saying it couldn’t happen. Then it was nine long months. And now that waiting time is such a distant memory. I remember that when I think about writing. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but just started putting it out there. So I KNOW that it is going to take a while, even though I am surrounded by others who seem to be in labor. I’m happy for them, but waiting, hoping for a “baby” of my own.
What a beautiful story, Brenna! thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Newly back to blogging, I’m still trying to find my groove and am a hopeless stats-checker. Thanks for the encouragement – it’s timely!
welcome back! =) i say, don’t worry about stats. it just makes us crazy! =)
This is such a God-kiss to me; Thank you, Sarah! I was just telling God this morning that I am fine with being a small (by the stats) blogger, and I want to be faithful to write whatever He places on my heart to write…such peace.
Blessings,
Dolly
oh i love that! God-kiss. yes, i want to be faithful to the same, dolly. thank you.
Thank you for your encouraging words today, Sarah! I’ve really been coming to the realization lately that I need to get back to why I started writing in the first place – myself. Not to see how many comments, facebook shares, or page hits I could get, but as a way for me to do something I love.
oh yes! so true. do what you love, and i think it will be so much more fulfilling. thank you so much for the comment =)
This is very encouraging. Thank.you.
thank you pilar!
Needed this today! Thanks.
thank you tammy!
I’ve been thinking about this so much lately and after reading this, I’ve had an epiphany: if, in all my blogging and writing and sharing and yada yada yada my goal morphs into “bigger and brighter and better” than all I’m accomplishing is a ridiculous human attempt to eclipse the God I’m writing about. If I stay true to my calling, it’s really only about the dialogue between me and God that miraculously flows onto the screen. Where it goes from there is totally up to the One who birthed the words and thoughts, not me.
I love that Holly – God birthed the words. So true!!
thank you for writing this.. I shared it on my fb wall. You are a light.
And you make a difference in so many lives. And that is enough.
It’s enough for you.
It’s enough for me.
I say no to envy. I say no to competition.
We all have worth and value in telling our stories, and sharing our lives.
xo love to you. xo
bonitarose
oh! thank you so much! yes. we all have worth. =)
*sigh*
My friend and I sat outside a coffee shop till midnight last night catching up on everything. Because of the weight of our conversation we began to look around to see if anyone was hiding in the bushes listening to everything we shared. We laughed about it, but now I’m certain someone was there. You. EVERYthing that flooded out of my mouth is EVERYthing you touched on in your post today. I’m in tears. Dare I even mention I talked about you, your blog, your ministry…and if Sarah Markley(with a huge following/platform) is already out there than why oh why does anyone need a Laura Kramer (following/platform declining) *sigh* God gave you the words I needed to hear today…it’s an added twist He chose you to deliver them. I’m guessing it’s because He knew I would “listen” and receive from you. I’m printing out this blog post and taping it in my journal. Thank you Sarah. Thank you for listening to Him.
My husband and I were just talking about this at lunch today. I’ve got two blogs going and I’m trying to refocus my targets, but my motivation for writing has changed since I retired from teaching school. It’s hard enough reinventing oneself and then having to do it for all to see and read becomes tricky. Talking it through out loud was good for me, and so was reading your post. Mysterious ways and all…
A friend of mine tweeted the link to this today and I’m so glad I clicked on it. While it is so nice to see the “page views” on my blogs or articles increase, it’s too easy to get caught up in the numbers. That’s not what writing is about. Thank you for the reminder
I just want my blog to be a place to let the words out of my head, but being concerned with the number of followers, comments, likes and so on is such an easy trap to fall into.
Thank you, THANK YOU for these truthful and encouraging words. Signed, a blogger with 37 followers.