Why Do I Keep Doing This? Two Reasons I Anticipated and Two I Didn’t

This post represents a milestone – my 100th article. My first post from June 21, 2017 was called, “Two Ways Not to Pray and One Way to Pray.”  Now, almost exactly six years later, I’m hitting triple digits.

Committing myself to write on a regular basis has been a fun – but time-consuming – exercise. I typically mull my ideas over for a couple of weeks before I sit down to write, and then I review and revise my articles many, many times. The total process of writing, revising, and posting typically takes about 20 hours.

Why do I spend so much time blogging? Originally, I had two reasons, but in the six years since I began, I realized two other benefits I hadn’t thought of.

Here are my two original reasons:

1.      I feel I have something to say. Over my decades knowing Jesus, God has brought me miles in my Christian walk as I have wrestled with hundreds of issues, both theological and practical. At the risk of being presumptuous, I feel these ideas are worth sharing.

2.      In today’s “Christian marketplace,” it’s easier to be taken seriously as a speaker and an author if you can point to numerous articles and followers.

I’ve only more recently recognized these other two reasons to keep writing:

1.      Great comments and feedback from readers. Duh! Why didn’t I see this coming? Blog posts often generate reader feedback, and I love hearing your reactions and suggestions. I appreciate every “like,” but the feedback I especially value comes from people I know personally when I know they don’t necessarily share all my views on faith.

I have always been a bridge-builder. Back in my college days, the Syracuse University chaplain hosted weekly Wednesday morning donut discussion breakfasts. The chaplain didn’t have a particularly high view of the Bible and didn’t believe that the only way to establish a relationship with God is through Jesus.

We had a regular pool about 15 attendees including a Buddhist, an agnostic, a New Age adherent, someone dabbling with the occult, and several other very interesting characters. I was the only one who identified as a Bible-believing Christian. But guess what? I very seldom quoted Bible verses, and I never made fiery statements condemning behavior the Bible speaks against. I understood the mindsets of the others and studiously avoided giving them cause to reinforce their negative stereotypes of Christians.

This is not to say I wimped out. I regularly referenced biblical principles and explained why certain behaviors are either inappropriate or unwise. I discussed clear biblical values, but I consciously avoided using religious jargon or reinforcing my fellow students’ unfavorable expectations.

It’s impossible to measure my comments’ impact, but I truly believe God used me to make inroads with people who probably had few other conversations with thoughtful Christians. Let me be clear. There are times to be very direct in our sharing of the gospel. However, when you have ongoing contact with people skeptical about Christianity, a more gentle and nuanced approach can be more effective.

I try to take a similar bridge-building approach with my blogposts. And based on feedback, I believe I am helping some people to rethink their views of Jesus.

2.      The benefits of the discipline of writing. Trying to be concise has forced me to crystallize my thoughts and consider if I am stating my case in a theologically precise and accurate way. This helps me clarify my sometimes-cloudy thoughts and arrive at fully developed conclusions I can thoroughly “own.” This creates the odd situation of ministering to myself with my own words when I face new challenges and get to remind myself of the conclusions I had previously written about.

Since I always like to offer my readers a couple of takeaways, here are two:

1.      Think through how you approach your spiritual conversations with people with whom you have ongoing contact.

2.      Consider committing your thoughts to writing, perhaps through journaling or even starting a blog. The process can help you solidify your own spiritual thoughts.