Do you ever feel under qualified to share spiritual insight with others? Or to give people advice, especially concerning topics that you’ve yet to conquer? Today, I’m going to cover why despite this, you should still reach out to others and share what God’s given you.
We’ll start with the first reason, the selfish one.
During his opening at the 2016 ACFW conference, Ted Dekker said: don’t write to teach. Write to discover. Write first for yourself and God.
I need to share a little secret with you guys. The blog posts I write are often about my greatest weaknesses, not my greatest strengths. I’m not writing about things I’ve conquered, but about things I’m going through. When I encourage you to honor your parents, have faith through trials, and trust God with major decisions, that’s because I’ve failed tremendously in each of those areas. In fact, I often write more what I need to hear than what I think readers would like to read. You could say that I need to hear about my blog post topics more than my readers do 😉
So I really am being a hypocrite, if you think about it. I’m saying you should do one thing, when I’m often still learning (and failing) to do that same thing. And I shall, unapologetically, continue to write like that. I write primarily to discover and share the things I’ve learned, not to air my victories and accomplishments.
And now for the selfless reason.
Yes, I write for myself, but the reason I share that is for others. If I’ve gotten so much out of my experiences, maybe someone else will too.
And quite frankly, when someone shares their message and admits their struggles, it inspires me. It takes so much vulnerability and courage just to share your struggles, and even more so to share struggles you’re still battling.
Seeing the victory of a battle is inspiring, but so is seeing the fighting during the battle. It’s a reminder that you’re not alone. Someone else is battling the same monsters you are.
I have a friend with a speech on significance. I told her that it’s okay to tell people she’s still struggling to find hers, inspiring even. Her struggles aren’t something she should hide. And she didn’t. The vulnerability and authenticity in her speech continues to inspire others. Enough so that she’s going to speech nationals.
I quote I found says,
“Only God can turn
a mess into a message
a test into a testimony
a trial into a triumph
a victim into a victory.”
He not only has the power to do this after a trial, but in the midst of it. Even before they’re healed, your battle scars are trophies all their own.
Even if you’re not the most spiritually mature person, share what God’s given you—the messes, tests, and trials, even if they’ve yet to become a message, testimony, or victory. God can use us in the midst of our sufferings, in our darkest hours, to be a light to others.
So be a hypocrite.
Inspire others.
Hannah
April 20, 2017 - 5:57 am ·Spot on, Liz. I’m a terrible friend and I almost never comment anymore, but I do read all of your posts, and they are extremely powerful. I don’t let you know this enough, but your vulnerability is always inspiring to me. So thank you for this – I’m sure it isn’t easy. 🙂
Elizabeth Newsom
April 25, 2017 - 8:39 pm ·Thank you! It’s an honor to hear that 🙂 And I understand, Hannah. I’m just happy you’re reading them! And again, it’s so encouraging to hear that.