Bowing My Words

Before I am able to share with you more about our adventures and blessings from Tanzania, I have to share this post first. It has been on my heart for a bit and I need to let you know about it to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading. Hopefully, it will be worth your treading through, and if not, you can always skip it. The joy of a reader--The right to choose!

Prior to my post announcing our trip to Tanzania, I had not put anything on the blog since Christmas. Well, it wasn't that I didn't have anything to write about. :) At first I was a bit busy after Christmas getting back into the swing of things but when I found time to connect again. I felt I shouldn't. It wasn't just the blog, my facebook page was almost inactive from January to May with the exception of a couple of announcements and a post or two.

You see, I found myself in a pattern of checking the blog or facebook several times a day to see if someone had commented or viewed a post. The comments and encouragement weren't what concerned me. MY RESPONSE to those comments, "likes", page views, or the lack there of was what worried me. My mood was alternately brightened or darkened by the feedback I found.
When I realized what I was doing, I asked myself why I was doing that. Was there any reason to check on things like that? Why was I really posting things anyway? Was it to connect, encourage, and enjoy or was it really to promote myself or seek attention?

The reason I started posting notes on Facebook and eventually blogging was to reach out to others, encourage, shine a light on God's ever amazing work, and to be real. I also felt God gave His blessing for it and even a command for it some cases. If God tells me to share something, I need to just do it. It's worth is not measured by how many people "like" it. It's worth is measured in my motive, my offering.

So, I took a break. My witty comments, clever quotes, family anecdotes, "WOW GOD" moments, thoughtful reflections, and keen observations were not documented for the world to know about. I kept it all to myself, those present in the moment and God. In the middle of my communication freeze, God helped reveal more about what He wants from my words.

In March, a ladies bible study group at church needed a book to study for a few weeks until school was out. I was digging through my closet and found Satisfy My Thirsty Soul by Linda Dillow. Though I had read it before, I had not completed the Bible study guide portion. Our group chose to study this book. The book relates her journey to intimacy with God through worship. She states that worship is an act but also a lifestyle. In the worship lifestyle we bow our lives to God everyday. One of the chapters in the book is entitled, "I Bow My Words". Well, if you know me at all, you know that I could stay camped in that chapter and scripture about words my entire lifetime and never come up for air. So, needless to say it spoke to me.

God brought His Word and Linda's book alongside what He was already teaching me. Though I have a long, long, long, way to go in controlling my mouth, my written words have opportunity that my spoken don't. I can be more careful, confident and concise with my written words. God has allowed me to be able to use Facebook, Blogger, and other venues for His glory. My friends, I thank God every day for those who encourage my written words but my joy for writing them shouldn't come from you.

My words are my worship. My words should never be about me. I bow my words to Him.

Becoming,
Anna