Mads…in orbit

This week I was tasked with posting on bloggers’ posts – specifically, bloggers whom I admire.  These are people who share intimate details of their lives with readers, and I’ve had the privilege of reading what they have to say – I owe it to them to express appreciation for what they write. What a nice idea, right? Why hadn’t I thought to do that before?

Signed, Anonymous

Oh, right. Because it’s safer to mooch off of nuggets of advice under the cover of anonymity. Instead of a ‘Thank You,’ I’d retweet posts I enjoyed. That way, I would never write a lame comment; my intellect would never be questioned. I’d never be vulnerable, leave a glaring typo, or miss the entire point of someone’s post.

Just Do It

I’ve learned that one of the best ways to turn over a new leaf is to blatantly infringe on Nike’s slogan copyright, and just get yourself out there. So, I did.

The Results

• On Ben Emerson’s blog The Whole Dang Thing, I was struck by his post on Joshua 3, where he explores a possible answer to why the Israelites had to stand in the Jordan before God would clear the way for them to cross it. I continued to mediate about these ideas on my bike ride home from school, and ultimately expressed my reaction to the post in this comment.
• Heather Summers’ post on Good Women Project was a tough one for me to stomach, as I mention in the comment I made on it. The topic of the month over at GWP is ‘Rape and Unwanted Sex,’ which is an issue that never fails to set my heart on fire. I commend Heather for her bravery in sharing her story with such transparency. She tweeted a very kind thank-you tweet in response; maybe we’ll be friends.
• Jon Acuff has a tendency of writing posts that help reveal my own obstacles to me, and this post was a prime example. I was so excited by the coinciding messages of his words and my own realizations that I left a comment about it.
• Sammy Adebiyi has been working on a series about ‘finding God’s will’ for your life – a phrase which confuses Christians and non-Christians alike. In this post, I found Sammy’s take on this concept refreshing – he reminds us that regardless of whether or not we get answers, there are some questions that are more important to ask than others. I also found the Who pun amusing. I shared my reaction to this post here. I even got a response! How cool is that?
• Evangelism is a heavy, loaded word. Whether or not it is used in the Christian context, there’s a good chance it will offend someone. Contrary to popular belief, though, there are good things that can happen as a result of these experiences. Joe Bunting shares how Evangelism is Tough on Prodigal Magazine, and I am one of a handful who respond.

In Conclusion…

Commenting on posts isn’t scary anymore; it really is as simple as that. It felt good to write these! It didn’t take as long as I expected to form meaningful responses and edit them.

I hope to start sharing appreciation and gratitude more openly with others – especially those who have been so open with me.

How about you? Do you get anything out of leaving someone a comment?

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