What makes a blog a success? Is it the number of unique visitors, the number of subscribers, or perhaps the amount of followers you have on Twitter? This might be the case if you have a blog for the sole purpose of earning an income. If that is the case, then I would suggest that you stop reading and go spend your time increasing your readership. Of course, you can always leave a comment so someone from here might click on your name and go to your blog.
However, if you are like me and this is not a money making proposition then I would like to suggest to you that your visitors or subscribers have nothing to do your blog being a success.
In my Sunday School class I have been teaching using the book “Subversive Kingdom” by Ed Stetzer and the accompanying videos. You may remember from an earlier article of mine that this series examines the Kingdom of God from the perspective of the parables of Jesus in Matthew. One of the parables that we have been studying is the Parable of the Mustard Seed. I know this is familiar to many of you but let me refresh your memory.
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” Matthew 13:31-32 ESV
All too often in our society today we are led to believe that bigger is better. It is better if we can get more people to visit our blog. It is better if more people follow our Facebook or Twitter accounts. Bigger has to be better, right? Wrong! As we see from the words of Jesus, it is not the size of the seed but what the seed can accomplish that is important.
I think that the same thing can be said of a blog. It is not the size of the blog’s readership or how fancy the pages are that matter it is the message. When you narrow your focus down to what is the most important part of your blog it is the thought that matters. You thought is the mustard seed of your blog!
One single thought can have an important impact. People visit your blog, or mine, for one reason; they visit to see your thoughts. Maybe that thought is a random thought. Or maybe the thought is something that has been weighing heavily on your heart and mind. The thought might be message for someone special put out in public for the world to see and read. Perhaps the thought is something humorous that you wish to share to bring a smile to others. Whatever it is, your thought is the most important thing for the success of your blog.
Without that single thought, you have nothing. But with that single thought you can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Only God knows what He can do with a single thought, an idea, that leads to a blog post. That thought becomes an idea, is expressed in words form paragraphs and develop into a post. Maybe someone will read your words and make a decision that will change their lives. Maybe your thought will brighten the day of someone who is desperate need of a smile. Or your thought might just bring someone closer to a relationship with Christ. That single thought has the potential to be the mustard seed that we all so desperately want our blogs to have.
If you don’t have a blog or write for others, then you might not have made it this far down the page. If you have, thanks for hanging in there with me. And you must realize that you don’t need a blog to make a mustard seed impact. You interact with people each day and this is your opportunity for your thoughts to become mustard seeds for the Kingdom of God. Each of us impacts those that are around us whether we own a website or not.
All too often we are wrapped up with being the biggest and the best. We forget that sometimes the smallest of things make the biggest impact. You have heard the phrase “It’s the thought that counts.” Well in this case it truly is the thought that counts. Spend some time with God, develop your thoughts, and let your thoughts become your mustard seed. You might be surprised at what will grow from them.
Do you focus on the mustard seed in your life?
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Sele, this may be my favorite thing you have written.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. I was having a hard time putting my feelings into words, so I am glad you understood what I was trying to say.
This is an excellent way of putting it. Way too often we want to achieve the bigger things in life without considering the smaller things. It reminds me of Gideon's army…300 men in all….and they beat the enemy (over 120,000 swordsmen). If just ONE person (Jesus) changed the world, and He told us that we could do far greater things, what can a few dozen men do for Jesus today?
That\’s exactly right. It a starts with one small action and grows from there. Thanks.