Since the first day I started writing this blog I have ran into a lot of different opinions about blogging and how blogging should and should not be done, my blog has fit into both of these categories.

The day I published my first post I received my first opinion.  It was not even a live person who gave the opinion; it was the publishing area of the blogsite.  When I hit the publish button to send off my post wordpress congratulated me on a job well done.  From that moment on with every post I make I get a pop up message from wordpress that says “congratulations you have reached post number such and such!”  Which makes me want to pat pat pat myself on the back….(insert eye roll here) Of course I really don’t pat myself on the back but it makes me laugh and wonder why I deserved a congratulations for posting lots of posts.

I have also heard that it is good etiquette to make sure I always reply back when someone comments on my blog.  Does everyone really go back to see if I reply back to them?  I do not go back to check on comments I have made on other people’s blogs nor do I expect a reply back.  Most of the time I do reply back to those who comment on my posts though I do have a life outside of the blogging world so sometimes it may be days that I am not on the blogsite to even know someone has commented.  I never set out to hurt any feelings or not have good etiquette.

We all as people, including myself, seem to have an opinion about anything and everything, some of us being more opinionated than others.  We as bloggers are sharing our opinions with anyone who cares to read them. Let us also not forget the  little comment box that encourages other bloggers to leave their opinions or for those who do not want to comment there is a “like” button.  I wonder why they did not bother with a “dislike”  button?   Isn’t that a scary thought?  having a bunch of gravatars lined up at the bottom of the screen with the words ’25 people disliked your post you should go on over to their site and see what they have written’ 🙂

Because my blog deals a lot with faith type topics and a lot of my readers come from different church denominations and cultures I know that others will not always agree with me or with those who leave a comment on my posts.   I do not claim to be an authority and know that I am not always right.  I am just trying to share here what Jesus has done for me.   Only God is the one who knows who is wrong or right.  There are more important things to do than argue about our differences of opinion.  The more I get to know God the more I know that if I am in the wrong sooner or later He will show me the error of my ways.

Some readers and writers may be newer Christians or maybe still searching for Jesus.  Not all of us have known Him our whole lives.  There was a time in my life that I did not believe in God. Eventually God showed me he was real in watching my father in law die.  You can click this link to read the story if you would like to read it… The Journey Begins.  At that time in my life I was bull headed, stuck in my ways and had a lot of my own opinions about life and how I thought it should be lived.  At that same time in my life I also met a person who was a Christian who was different than any Christian I had ever met.  This person became my friend never looking down on me.  I was allowed to ask all sorts of endless questions and I was always answered with patience and kindness. I was never made to feel embarrassed about what I did not know.  I was shown God in a gentle way never feeling force fed or overwhelmed with information.  Instead of spending time arguing and telling me how I had it all wrong I was shown by their actions that God was all right.  God’s perfect love was shown to me in that person’s kindness and actions.

For us Christians that have not always known Jesus, from the moment we accept him as our savior we head down a new path in life which to be honest can be quite scary at first.  We all stumble, we all fall, He catches us and helps us pick ourselves back up again, dusting us off usually having taught us something new along the way.  He never gives up on us and keeps leading and teaching us more and more as we go along on our journey.

As Christians God gave us the job of spreading and planting seeds to be watered, but only God can make them grow.   We are like flowers in the garden; different kinds of flowers take different amounts of water.  In the heat of the Summer Vinca only need small amounts of water to grow into beautiful plants.  If you give a Vinca too much water they will drown and wither away.  Impatiens are just the opposite, they require a lot of water to flourish in the heat of the summer or they will wither away.  So what is good to help one flower grow may not work for another.  God created each flower to be unique just as he created each of us to be unique.

I guess I am just trying to say here is even here on the blogs where opinions are encouraged we should show others the same grace that God has shown us.   We should show God’s kindness, patience and love.  We never know where someone has been or where they are at right now in their walk with Jesus.  We all may walk a little differently or choose a different path to get there, but we all have the same common final destination in the end.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

Romans 12:10   Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 

Thank you for reading and God bless you 🙂