Challenge Accepted

Sometimes I wish life could be easy. That I wouldn't feel pushed and pulled in different directions, trying to balance my faith, a family, a job, friends, a blog.

I don't believe that life is intended to be easy, but abundant and full of purpose. It's design is not for breezing through without obstacles, but for developing strategy and refining our navigation skills.

I don't want to miss the beauty of becoming. - Jenny Simmons

SELF CHALLENGE
If you've been a follower of this blog for awhile, you know that starting this blog was the beginning of me doing more, being creative and setting goals. If you're a new follower, you can read this blog's birth story here.

As part of my blogging journey, I have been challenged to write on difficult topics, to boldly share my feelings and my faith, and to step outside my comfort zone...a lot! A friend recently asked me if I get nervous about putting myself out there, about letting others see deep into me. To be honest, I don't think about that too much anymore. With my first few posts, I felt like puking every time I hit publish. Now, I get excited to share what I'm learning. Hoping people will read and identify with my story.

In the past eight months, I have also challenged myself to be a voice of encouragement, start a one year plan to read the Bible and to listen and follow the voice of God.

These things have been challenges because I didn't believe I could do them. I didn't have the courage or the confidence. That wasn't me. But, God began changing that eight months ago. I am so grateful that He continues to transform me. I like myself much better than I used to.

However, I still harbor many insecurities. My goal, lately, has been to turn those insecurities into action. Asking myself, "What can I do to change this?"

Make up your mind that you're not going to quit...
until you see the fruit of what God has placed within you. 
- Joyce Meyer

In late December I got strep throat and spent several days in bed. My husband was very clear that I was supposed to rest, which left me with a lot of time to read and think. I thought mostly about this space and whether I should try to promote it. Not just among my friends and family, but among the blogging world.

I didn't want it to be about the numbers, but I did want more readers. Not just one time visitors, but readers. In order to have more readers, I needed more followers. Ultimately, I knew that God would touch the lives of those He wanted through my blog. But, I still felt the need to do something.

You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. - James 2:22 (NLT)

I decided to devote the month of January and a little bit of Christmas money (thanks Grandma!) to promoting my blog. I carefully chose a few blogs to sponsor and took advantage of opportunities to co-host, write guest posts, and participate in giveaways. I was intentional about my choices and gave the rest to God.

Here's what happened with the numbers...

My GFC followers increased from 75 to 200

My Facebook page went from 82 likes to 156

My total page views for January have been 3,011
(versus an average of 985 per month prior)

Here's what really happened...

I met some great new blogging friends.

I received many beautiful comments and complimentary emails.
(I even got a "thank you" email from another bloggers' mom...now that's a compliment)

I've felt supported and encouraged.

God is clearly working in this space.

"The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’" - Matthew 25:23 (NLT)

CHALLENGE FROM OTHERS
One of the reasons I love reading what other people write, through blogs or other social media, is because they often challenge me to think or act differently, to ask questions and to be better.

Last week, I read a post from Cat at This Little Life of Mine. In this post, she initiated a 30-day scripture challenge. The challenge:  find a new scripture everyday, that applies to that day's theme. Then, write a post, tweet, pin, Instagram, and/or share it on Facebook. Sharing scripture with others. Filling cyberspace with God's word. How could I say no? Challenge accepted.

So, beginning February 1st, I will be searching the Bible daily for wisdom related to stress, anxiety, prayer, forgiveness, etc. and sharing it with all of you.

If you would like to join this challenge, visit Cat's blog and link up. If you're not a blogger, but want to join, print out the 30-day scripture challenge list. Then, share away.

If you share on Twitter or Instagram, use #faithchallenge, so we can be inspired from God's word together.

Last week, Fawne at Beauty in Weakness posted this:

We think...try harder. God says...know me more.

Stop trying...start abiding.

Stop striving...start relating.

If you desire to know God more, enter into this scripture challenge. In this way, we can abide in Him daily and relate to each other through His word.

In what ways have you challenged yourself lately? Have you also been challenged by others? I would love to know.


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