Following

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord

Forever. Psalm 23: 6

I think I will separate verse 6 into two. Today, I will look at part A: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”

This first half of the verse makes me feel secured.

You know, it just occurred to me that I’ve been sharing my thoughts on this blog for a while now…I wasn’t sure when I started, so I scrolled down and saw that I actually began in 2011. That is 6 years for those of us who don’t do math. In my universe, six years is quite a long time.

But, that’s not what I’m thinking about today. The word that made me ponder on my blogging activity was “follow.”

Those in social media recognize that word. The word usually evokes feelings that could be considered as opposing concepts: a curse and/or a blessing. I remember earlier in my “career” as a Christian blogger desiring a big “following.” I craved to see more and more and more little pictures on the little corner that shows who follows my musings. I incessantly checked my posts’ statistics to see if people where actually reading my writings. I linked to several “blog parties.” I actually had like a sort of calendar, where I would link to different “blog parties” every day. I read every article on how to increase readership. In summary, I spent a decent amount of time trying to put my word out there to get the coveted followers.

After a few years of doing this, I realized that not only had I not increased my following, but it had actually decreased. There were less and less little pictures on my followers’ corner. This fact made me realize that I had probably just wasted my time. The only way I’d ever be “viral” would be if I got the flu. So, I stopped trying and I went back to the true purpose of my blog: to have a conversation with the Lord…a moment with Him…just the two of us…about something pressing in my mind and heart. And if others happen to stop by, and be blessed by it, well, Praised Be the Lord who inspired the whole thing!

Writing helps me think. It helps me concentrate. It helps me go deep. It helps me meditate on God’s truth. I’m not craving followers anymore. I’m craving the presence of my Heavenly Father. I’m not seeking a spike on my stats. I am trusting that by growing closer to Him who sustains me, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…