I write a blog. And I do love it.
But before I was a blogger, I was a reader of blogs. Lots of them. And I still am.
My intention with this post was to share a list of the blogs that I love : and that will come : but I feel this need to share something else instead. Something not quite as fluffy as blogs I love, but probably important to say since it’s been on my heart for quite some time.
Comparison. Insecurity. Self-righteousness.
Ugh.
My best friend says that blogs are like pornography for women. Now don’t be offended. I know that it’s a pretty raunchy comparison, but bear with me. The thing about pornography that traps so many is the lure of something almost reality. The women are gorgeous and tight, they’ll say what you want to hear and do what your wildest dreams could only imagine. They give you promise of something so good, but always leave you feeling inadequate, let down, and unsatisfied with your true reality. And yet that promise is so tantalizing, you keep coming back for more.
The same can be true of blog-reading. It all looks so good and attractive, is inspiring and encouraging {even addicting}, but you often walk away feeling inadequate, let down and unsatisfied with your true reality.
We get so absorbed in and enchanted by the life of whosever blog we’re reading that when we step back from the computer and look around at the beautiful mess that is our real life, we feel like we don’t measure up.
How many times have I had these thoughts :
I wish I was as creative as Ashley Ann.
If only my house looked like Erika’s.
I will never be as full of wisdom as Angie.
Or as chic as Seleta.
Or as clever as Kasey.
Or as good a mom as Meg.
and on and on and on.
I don’t know these ladies, but in my few interactions with them I can say that none of them intend to make others feel this way. They are beautiful women who are simply sharing their lives.
But this is the problem with blogs. We present what we want to {typically only the best of life} and put on a front that we have it all together. Of course that is what I want to write about. Who wants to read about my bad hair day and the bad attitude that followed? Or the frustration I feel when I just want to eat my own breakfast and wish my children would leave me alone for five minutes!? Sometimes posts like that happen, but the majority of them are happy, clean and pretty.
What breaks my heart, sweet reader, is that in my attempt to share the best of my life with you, perhaps I have left you feeling somehow inadequate.
That your home doesn’t measure up. Or your talents. Or your children {or lack thereof}.
And that is truly not my intention.
My maiden name is Jones and I find it quite ironic that my biggest struggle of all is comparison.
You know, the whole keeping up with the Joneses thing?
Oh, how I am completely aware of it in my own life.
It is a constant struggle for me to be able to look at other’s successes and be genuinely happy for them without that little nudge of insecurity to creep in. And on the other side, it is a challenge for me to look at my own successes and not feel like I am somehow better than another.
To be in that place where I am fully confident in who God made me to be and have no need to compare myself is where I am headed, but I am not yet there.
I read this devotion to my children months ago and it has stuck with me:
“Stop comparing yourself to other people. When you compare yourself to others, you end up either feeling that you’re better than they are, or feeling bad about yourself. Neither of those things is what I want for you.
I created each of My children with unique talents. And I have given each of you your own road to follow. So it is useless to compare yourself to someone else – that person has a completely different path to follow.
When you want to feel good about yourself, remember how much I love you. Remember that I made you just the way I want you to be. And remember that I died so you could have My salvation. You are a jewel in My crown.”
Isn’t that good? Written for little ones, but pierces my soul with its truth.
So this is what I am trying to say :
I love reading blogs. There are so many ridiculously creative, talented, wise women who I am daily inspired by. And I want so much to be able to leave their little corner of the web feeling encouraged rather than defeated. That is a decision that is completely up to me. It is all about confidence : knowing who I am and whose I am.
At the same time, I want my little corner that is Jones Design Company to be a place where you can also come to be encouraged and inspired. I try my best to be my genuine self and I hope you know that while I try to be as honest as possible, this is not the perfect representation of me and my life. I am terrible at making meals. My closet is a wreck. I like crass jokes and am very goofy in real life. I cry at stupid things {like the beluga whales doing tricks at the zoo} and I haven’t opened my bible in a week.
I love reading blogs. And I will share with you a list of some of my favorites. But I just wanted to get it out on the table that sometimes I struggle mightily with feeling insecure when I read these blogs. I’m not sure if you feel the same way, but I’m guessing that since women can be very insecure creatures, perhaps you can identify.
But just remember {and I say this to myself as well} that you were made to be you. Not Ashley Ann or Meg or Seleta {who are all delightful, I am sure}, but just you.
You are a jewel in His crown.
There aren’t many blogs I read like I have been reading yours Emily! I very much appreciate not only your creativity and beautiful ideas…but the not-so-perfect side of your life too. It’s more uplifting than you know! You are so spot on about how we women compare ourselves. It’s part of our feminine nature that we need to be aware of and curb.
“Comparison is the thief of joy”
Eleanor Roosevelt was a very smart woman!
Thanks Laura!
Good reminder about anything in life…..less is more. And as the Ten Commandments speaks life into our hearts # 10- Do Not Covent Thy Neighbor.
When our eyes are off of God , we loose sight of God’s many blessings in our life.
I really like blog looking. It has given me ideas, encouragement to stretch my imagination and get rid of stuff that has been in our home many years.
Thank you for sharing
I love aspiring to something higher and your blog often inspires me to do that as I focus on becoming a developing my jewels and well as becoming one of His. Thank you.
This is one great thing about blogs/the internet. We have posts like this up and available since 2011 to read in 2014 or any time after. And the thing is, it will always be true and timely! Never thought of blogs as pornography – such a provocative comparison – and will never think of them the same way again. Such good things to keep in mind while I strive to keep my own life in order. Thank you, Emily!
Gosh… what a great post!! Thanks so much for sharing exactly the right thing to say. It is so easy to experience those exact feelings when wandering around the “blogosphere”…
Love your corner of the world! Feel free to drop by mine! I’d love to see you!
Just want to say that your blog is always inspiring and encouraging.. :) Thank you for this post!
Thank you for sharing this post. It’s been in every reader’s thoughts and it’s not only related to blogs but to most social media in general like Facebook or Instagram or even Twitter. This very topic came to mind when a friend shared on his Facebook feed the following, “The problem with Facebook is that you are comparing your behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight real”. Thank you for reminding us that we are made to be “us” by His hand and that we need to stop the comparisons and just choose to be inspired by other’s who are just as human as we are.
Wow, here I am blog surfing, while my husband and dog are already asleep. I’m deep in that pit, you know where I look at all the beautiful things, and soon I will get up, and pass the messy living room on my way to bed. I needed to read this. There does seem to be fine line between getting ideas and lusting. I don’t want to lust, and I need to be happy with my home, because there’s nothing wrong with it.
Thank you for this post, it is my first time commenting too, it just touched my heart and since I’ve been struggling to write my own blog with so many feelings like the ones listed. What moves me the most is the toughs of being remembered by my children as a beautiful, talented, creative, etc … woman but especially as a Godly woman who loved Jesus with all my soul, and heart and strength! surely this blogs inspires me.
Correction.
Honesty and openness are in inspiring.
Ooopsy. You get it anyway. ;)
This is my first time commenting on your blog but I just had to chime in and thank you for your words of wisdom.
Honesty and openness is inspiring.
Thank you for bring both of these qualities to the table.
I just stumbled upon your blog because I was searching for images of favorite things to be a header for a post I am composing. In my google image search I found your post of favorite things and absolutely loved it! After viewing that post I came to this one and just had to comment. This post definitely hit home for me in many ways. Mostly because I am constantly finding that I compare myself to others around me and strangers and it causes me such frustration. I completely agree about the insecurity of reading other peoples blogs too. I created my own website months ago and constantly change it because I just cannot figure out how to make it as wonderful as everyone else out here in cyberspace. Thank you for your post! It has brought me some much needed perspective in a moment of being crappy to myself. =)
I’ve never read your blog before today (and actually got here from a comment on YoungHouseLove) but I HAD to comment and say this is MY FAVORITE BLOG POST OF ALL TIME (ok, maybe minus Nella’s Birth Story at kellehampton.com)!!! THANK YOU is not nearly enough – every bit of this post rings true for myself and so many blog readers I know! My son is only 2, but I think I’m going to print that devotional and hang it in his room! thanks again!
This post was so poignant for my life and the lives of women that I know. We all were able to relate and use this to greater our relationships with each other and God.
So much so that I knew I needed to Thank You for real. Take a look: http://theartofappreciation.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/outward-inspection/
Thank you!
This was so perfect for me today. Love your blog, your writings, and your vulnerability :). I relate completely.
This is the perfect post! It explains so well how I feel sometimes. I have been trying to figure out how to blog about those feelings without sounding jealous and whiny. So, I just posted a link to your post instead! Thanks for taking the time to write this one. I enjoy all of your posts, but this one really hit home and it is a relief to know most people feel the same way sometimes.
Thank you for this post. I love your heart…& your blog of course. Take Care.
Wow, I’ve never thought of it like that. You are right on, sister!
I can’t tell you the times I’ve gotten off the computer and thought my own self inadequate or less than.
I’m not a super blogger….but I love it and I love reading others. I recognize that God never wants me to compare myself with anyone. Just be me. ;)
What a blessing this post is, and entirely relevant to my thoughts and feelings lately. I think your analogy of blogs being similar to the draw of pornography is spot on in a lot of ways. For many of us, blogs become an escape, a place to ignore reality and eventually we lose appreciation for what we have because we constantly see something better. Recently I’ve committed my pinterest to only include things that are realistic for me. So I don’t pin photos of million dollar mansions, because I’ll likely never be there. But I do pin a photo of a $6 DIY tote, because that I can do. :) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Carry on. XO, Katie
Loved this blog. I’m sure you can see by your other 266 comments others did too, but it was a great reminder to be real and true to ourselves. Thank you!!
This blog was so perfect and came at just the right time. Being a new Mom, I find myself doing the comparison thing a lot. I always feel like some else has it figured out and that I am the only one having those hair pulling type of days sometimes. Your post made me laugh and cry a little and remember that it is important to not compare and hold true to who we are. I love reading your blog. Thank you!
Wow, so true. I am new to blogs, and have joined Pinterest. I am starting a blog, in the design stage, and am reading to learn from others. One page leads to another, etc. As I read it is overwhelming. I am an empty-nester, well over 40 and am trying to jump start my enthusiasm for life. My daughter blogs and encouraged me to start one. These bloggers all seem so beautiful, talented and together. It makes me wonder what I have to contribute and will I ever know enough about blogging, the internet, picassa and all the other things. Am I too old to do find a niche here? Thanks for the encouraging words. Just jump in…right? Well, I will and have subscribed to yours. In a week or two, hopefully, “Reinventing the Ordinary.com” will take it’s maiden voyage…thanks to my daughter’s help. God bless. I’ll be following you.
Wonderful post and I’m so glad I clicked over here from Erin Cobb’s blog. I began my blog to help myself gain perspective by writing about my life with boys (and to share the 1000’s of photos I take!) and in doing so, hope that others will gain perspective about this blessing of life God has given us.
My trouble is that I often get sucked into reading blogs when I should be doing other things … like caring for my kids! :)
This post his WAY too close to home for me. I read lots of blog daily, and like you, often walk away feeling like I will never be as good as ___ (fill in the blank). It’s a terrible feeling to have, but yet I come back time and time again to torture myself. I’m sure that as long as there are blogs written by amazing and talented women, I will always read them, but it’s gonna be up to me to change my attitude about how I feel about myself in comparison. I have a feeling that it’s gonna be lifelong struggle to just be content with what I have and who I am. But, I know that God’s plan for me and my life are unique, it’s just up to me to decide to be ok with that. Thanks so much for this post!
long time reader, first time commenter! i just had to comment because this is such a great, refreshing and honest post. I’d love to have a blog (and do plan on starting one soon!) but when i go to start i always think it’s never going to be as good as all the others out there and who’s going to read it. i get bogged down with comparisons and insecurity which is totally pointless! I love reading your blog not just because your funny and interesting but because your honest and you really seem to put yourself out there! inspiring!
thank you writing this post… as you can see {based on all the comments} this is a very real thing that all of us ladies struggle with! thank you for being so honest because i think we all have days like that.
Thank you.
I have been feeling this way and am so thankful when people are real. The devotional you shared is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you, Emily for writing this entry. I, too, am reading the book “So Long Insecurity” by Beth Moore and am finding this struggle with comparison is so active in my life. I’ve been unemployed for 5 months now and have spent an incredible time reading blogs and often feeling inadequate after. My house isn’t cute enough. I don’t cook well. I need to be more. I appreciate the courage it took you to write this entry and allow us to all learn and grow from it. Thank you.
beautiful post! i wrote one on my blog today about the same thing! it’s interesting how lots of women are feeling the same emotions lately about this whole blog/comparison, etc… thing. so good to know that we are free to be ourselves! and know, like you said, that we are all “jewels in His crown”! lora
Love, love, love your post. So very true. I am glad to know that I was not the only one feeling this way. Thanks for putting this out there!
Thank you for this post. I have often had to remind myself of this over the last few years since taking up blog reading. Honestly, sometimes I even have to take a break from the blogs to keep everything in perspective…
Thank-you for this post. I always find your posts such a refreshing little break from my day. It’s nice to be reminded to NOT compare. It’s so true that blogs are usually our best self, glossed over and omitting the Mommy temper tantrum that happened 47 seconds before hitting “post”. As a fellow blogger, this is a good reminder to just be myself and that doing so gives others permission too!! You’re one of my favorite bloggers!
You said this beautifully. Sometimes blog reading can get me down while at the same time inspiring me. When I started my blog I thought it would be a craft blog but I found I loved writing our family stories with a humorous take much more. I remember when I used to watch the follower numbers and cringe. Now I realize this blog has given me an outlet to share how I’m feeling through tough times and easy ones. I’m glad you wrote this post. Sometimes even the “big guys” get overwhelmed.
Sweet Emily. I love your blog, not because of how crazy creative you are, beautiful, talent, and your giveaways but because you are honest and so surreal. Right now in this moment, I’m sitting in Starbucks avoiding the fact that I’m suppose to be at my chemo appointment. I wanted to have just one day where I’m not stricken to doctors and utter sickness. I’ve been struggling with the balance of taking care of myself and my family, work, LIFE. I see or hear of people & families that get through the struggles of treatments and they don’t stop everything else in life or that their fighters and never give up. My thoughts are always wondering why can’t I do it all, why can’t I want to fight for my life, have a clean house, savings in our bank account, the clothes that we all want, craft everyday, not have my children cry or act crazy plus so much more. Today you have helped me see what the Lord is truly been trying to tell me….. that it’s okay to not be all put together. I’m sitting here with people looking at me as tears are flowing and I truly feel lifted up. You are a blessings, flaws and all. Thank you.
OMG – How well said….I have been critisized by friends who have told me I need to share the more personal side of myself on my blog and to show more pictures of my home etc….what has held me back is exactly what you have said. I fear making others feel inadequate as so many blogs (I feel) show just the rosy-side of life and often feel (to me) like “look at how awesome I am, while I home-school and do all these fabulous DIY projects and make a complete gluten-free meal using only organic produce we grew in our backyard garden”. UGH!
I love coming to visit you here – and who knows, maybe someday in person!
xo~Jill
beautiful post! my favorite quote – one that I have to go back to again and again (and again) – is “comparison kills contentment.” it SO DOES!
Thank you for your honesty. It was what I needed to hear today. Thank you.
Thank you for your honesty. It’s so nice to know that others often have the same feelings as I do! Good advice to stop comparing yourself to others. Our main goal should be to strive to be the best YOU can be!
Thank you… I needed to hear this today… Your vulnerability is refreshing and challenging me!
This is my first of your entries that I have read. your blog entry was sent to me by a friend. I opened my email after my morning devotions yesterday. I’m starting a bible study with some girlfriends tonight but our book “so long insecurity” by Beth Moore is not yet in.. So I was asking the Lord for a little guidance about what to share. I opened this entry that my friend had forward to me. What an immediate answer. Priaise Him! Kno w that you are being used and you have about 7 women in Michigan who will be reading your entry tonight as passage into our study about women and insecurity. Thank you for being transparent! Also thought you should know that I spent approximately 2 hours yesterday studying each of your tutorials. You are indeed gifted and creative! I attempted the starch flower with success.
Hi
This is my first comment on your blog and your blog is the first that I have subscribed too! I find most blogs very inspiring but yours touched me in a way that I did not expect. I am compelled to peruse the tutorials of your designs. I love everything that you have there and just wish I had more time to create my own versions. All in all what I am saying is that I your blog does not make me feel inferior but inspired.
Additionally, I was reading your most recent post of your Uncle Kevin’s Salsa recipe (who doesn’t love a good salsa) and it made me more drawn to your blog. My father was diagnosed in January 2009 with ALS and passed away in May of 2010. Such a horrible disease can take away so much from a person and their family. I am sorry for your loss but happy to hear that you have many ways of remembering him in your everyday life!
Finally, I would like to thank you for your blog and inspiration! Hope you have a great day!
What a great post Emily. So much truth.
I’m so glad you shared this. Comparing myself to other accomplished/beautiful women is definitely a major struggle of mine. Thank you. :)
Great post! Thank you…sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else to know that you are not alone in those thoughts and feelings. You rock :)
What a thoughtful and well-written post. I think it is human nature to try to show our best face to the world. Thank you for sharing your life through your blog.
Thanks for the straight forward truth about blogs. I love reading them but with everything in life it is about balance and keeping things in prespective.
I appreciated a few weeks ago you showed pictures of your house and how you were going to have company and that you had lots to tidy and clean. You showed an everyday picture into most of our worlds with children and the chaos of our everyday full lives. It made you more real and genuine. Keep sharing and inspiring from your heart:)
So true. I was feeling this way last week and I just needed to take a break from reading them so thank you for the encouragement.
(Applause, applause). Its so easy to put you on a pedestal, and feel like grunge. (And seeing you in person made your pedestal even higher!) I’m grateful for your courage to speak the truth! You’ve helped us to “twirl” once again! hugs!
Beautiful – an excellent reminder to rejoice in who we are, celebrate what is special in our own lives, and let go of envy – we can use our blog voices to inspire and encourage one another – and you’ve done that with this post. Thank you!
Please don’t take this in a stalkery way, but I wish I could call you my friend! I wish I knew more gals like you. I love your honesty, your creativity, and your touching devotionals and quotes. I couldn’t have read this at a better time. I recently started blogging and just opened an etsy shop too and when I “compare” my views and followers with other blogs that started around the same time as me I feel inadequate. I really have to tell my brain to separate myself from all of that. I think people love to see the creative eye candy of others but I also think a lot of us like to see the keepin’ it real stuff as well. I think we relate more to that…empty fridges, toys strewn everywhere, the tiny cramped closets some of us work from, and pictures of our kids in their t-shirts and diapers. We can laugh at that! So thank you!!!
Thank you for that post! You know yesterday my sister-in-law and I were just talking about how blogs and some websites like pinterest and others can leaving you feel discontent with the reality of our own lives and how dangerous that can be because it’s the same thing as shaking your fist at God and being unthankful for what He has provided.
I want to encourage you that following your blog has never made me feel that way, you come across like such a real and honest person. AND I really appreciate that you are a christian and not ashamed of it.
But I have been founding myself comparing my lot in life among family members. My husband and I are one year married now and he is training to be a Pastor and right now finances are tight but with your tutorials (and others) I am working on making our little house a cozy and beautiful little home and inexpensively! It’s awesome! So thank you for sharing your creative ideas :)
So basically I want to say thank you for this encouraging note and sharing your heart with us readers!
YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!! I am indeed ‘inspired and encouraged’ by JDC each time I visit so THANK YOU!
This is my first time ever visiting your blog. What an amazing post to find on my first visit here. I’ll most definitely be back!
Thanks for the great inspiring message! I teach at a Christian school and will share that devotion with my parents. It hurts me when parents and students are playing the comparing game. Sad to say, society places such an emphasis on ACT scores and GPAs that comparing has become a way of society. In my home and classroom I remind the kids “just do your best and you will be blessed!” God gives us a variety of people in our life to learn from each other. Thank you for believing that and sharing that feeling with all of us!
ah! it’s like you got inside my head and said what i so often feel… thanks for your transparency. i came originally from ann’s blog, but now i’m bookmarking! i think i’m gonna like you. ;)
I look forward to your blog posts every day! I appreciate your honesty and being real, something that we all struggle with. You have inspired me time and time again, and I come back to you for ideas time and time again. :) I also enjoy reading your blog because you obviously have a relationship with Jesus, and that is most important. So thanks for sharing. You’re still my favorite. :)
this is exactly how i feel when i read someone’s blog or facebook status. thanks for being so candid!
Thank you! Very well written and a sweet reminder!
Thank you for saying that… I struggle with that same gut feeling every day. The feeling like I don’t measure up, always wanting to do more or be more… I find complete solace in my devotional books and songs!!!! I love your blog and appreciate your honesty!!!
Always – Abbey
You have written beautifully how I have felt so much in the land of blog. In trying to be real and grow on this journey I often feel so untalented and uninspiring comparing myself to all of you talented girls! My husband once reminded me that you can be anyone you want on a blog…. It is not necessarily reality. You completely were spot on with this post. Thank you again for your honesty.
Oh Emily – written so incredibly well – so well! I personally do not have a blog – but I read many and yes am a bit addicted! I do walk away feeling inadequate and like my life is flat – however over time I have realized that reading written words can be interpreted so many ways – so as a reader we have to give the blogger the benefit of the doubt and NOT assume things about them. We should realize that blogs are not the WHOLE person – I don’t think any blogger can completely and 100% blog about every aspect of their life and they probably shouldn’t. While I do get insecure and roll my eyes at some of the things I read – i quickly remember that the blogger I just read is a women and/or a mother too and even a wife – and its not my place to judge or even make assumptions – I read to be incourged and inspired – to get lots of ideas and yes at times to be entertained. I am so thankful for the MANY blogs I have found and all they remind me of, show me, teach me and all the lovely things they bring to my life! And you are one of them Emily!
I so appreciate you sharing your heart in this post – at the end of the day, we are who we are – loved and cherished and important – thank you for what you bring to your blog and helping us make our lives prettier.
xoTiffany
I literally happened upon your blog today. I rarely leave comments anywhere online, but I felt like I needed to this time. I just wanted to say thank you. It’s really nice to know I’m not alone!
You read my mind (got the link to your post via twitter @KnittyBitties :-) thank you for this awesome post! Linked back to my blog so each time i need motivation i’ll have it handy.
This is very well written and very true. I LOVE that little devotion you posted! Thanks so much!
Well said! I got to the point where I had to stop reading so many blogs for a while, because it was less motivating, less inspirational…….I was comparing.
Thanks for the TRUE inspiration!
Suzanne
Emily, your honesty is much appreciated and relatable. I love reading your blog and I find your creativity inspiring. You have a beautiful family and the messages you write are truthful and genuine. I appreciate the time you take posting your pictures and writing about your life. Thank you for your sincerity!
-Evelyn
Absolutely needed to hear this right now. Thank you so much for sharing!
“Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame” Psalm 34:5
I think the your a jewel in my crown is amazing. I interpret that to be you are one of many, but unique and special. Just like being part of the body of Christ. Thank you for your gifts to the world. I am glad God let’s us dance in a way that we want and rejoices in all of it equally. Blessings.
I don’t even know what to say except for wow! Thank you for that..I have been feeling exactly the same way. Love the message and will be reading that to my children and putting it in a place in my home so we can be reminded of who we are and who created us.
Thanks Emily!!! You put into words what we have all felt! I read a quote on another great blog that describes it perfectly, “Comparison is the thief of Joy.” Why do we do it to ourselves!
~Lori Ann
This post is so beautifully written! I have always felt inadequate after reading peoples blogs. But never yours. You have always taken what is in your heart and posted. Giving me a sense of reality that yes other do feel the same way. So Thank you for being so bold to post this!
Emily:
Thank you for this beautiful post; it made me a bit weepy! I totally relate and although I adore looking at blogs, sometimes I look at my own surroundings, and feel, well, not quite good enough. What a beautiful reminder of our unique value! I really needed this today. Thanks!
And one more thing to add: it helps me to remember it’s not the blog writer’s intent to create envy or insecurity. That’s the deceptive, accusational, condemning tactic of the enemy. And when I remember that my King Jesus came to crush that enemy, I am free!
Amen and amen. It’s all about knowing who we are in Him. The enemy will whsiper lies and attempt to deceive us every time we read blogs, flip through magazines or peer into a friend’s nice new house. But the truth of who we are in Christ is more powerful than anything the enemy can throw out in a blog or I this world. Claiming that truth and power is a daily deal for me. Keeps me grounded!
Blessings,
Linsey
Oh my. I have wrestled with this same blog issue. At one point I thought I was going to have to give up blog reading all together because my sense of “real” was becoming skewed by too many perfectly packaged lives.
Thanks for your honesty, and thanks for sharing the beauty of your life not to compare to, but to be inspired by.
Emily–so well said! I find it terribly uncomfortable when approached in public & told how others don’t measure up & I want to just scream “that is so not what this is all about!!!” Love your words & find your craftiness incredibly inspiring! & the honesty–I only read blogs with real people behind them. Yours is one of the few on my list. :) Off to share this gem with my readers…
By far one of the best blog posts I have read on any of the many blogs I visit! Thank you for reminding me whose I am and to keep things in His perspective!
Oh wow! Thanks for this post! I also love blogging. And you are so right about comparing to the others whose blogs I read! You are dead on sister! Thank you so much for your transparency :)
Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing your heart. You did a great job comparing the two. How true it is….such a vicious cycle! Blessings to you.
Emily, this post was exactly what I needed to hear. I feel like God is really working on me in this area of my life and you’re right … it’s such a fine line. Thank you for sharing! -Emily
Preach it sister :) I’m so glad that you’ve posted this entry. You are so talented just like so many other of the women that you mentioned, yet somehow we can fall short in our own eyes in an instant. C.S. Lewis said it right: comparison is the thief of joy – and boy, how true it is.
Thank you for using your position as a fabulous blogger to be vulnerable to the ones who follow you!!
{I felt the urge to share this with the Twitter world as well! @EmmaLeeMadge: So happy that Emily Jones {of #JonesDesignCo.} wrote this post about blogging – talk about bein’ real! http://bit.ly/q5CGZo}
Wow! It’s like you read my mind. I’ve been composing a post like this in my head over the past few weeks, but just couldn’t get it right. You said it all perfectly. Thank you!
Beautiful. I <3 your blog, decorating, tutorials, giveaways, your store (darn't all of it)! :) But, one of the things that always resignate with me are your posts about the imperfect. I appreciate your openess with us all, and your efforts to ensure we (your readers) realize the truth in our lives and yours. Thank you, and God bless!
yes, we all share that same struggle. as much as i hate it and wish that i didn’t…i’m right there with you. and my mother was a jones as well…fitting. :) thanks for your vulnerability. the truth is much needed, friend, and well received. beautiful post.
I just started following your blog, and I just wanted to comment on what a beautiful post this was:) Your projects are inspiring and it’s wonderful to hear the “real” people behind the blogs!
yahoo! Bring it on down Emily. Thanks for stating what we’ve all felt! Interesting parallel with the pornography; so right! Yikes.
Thank you for such a beautiful and truthful note. I agree tenfold and wish of many of my friends would read your post. Thanks for the encouragement. I love your blog too by the way!!
What a fine line it is to walk, between love and hate. This was beautifully written. Thank You.
Wow. Really great stuff. It’s funny, because I just read a study that was put out that said that Facebook is making people unhappier. They shared that people always put up the fun things about their life (who takes a pic of them with their crazy hair every night at 3am when their child wakes up habitually?)…the date they went on , the flowers their man bought them, the bathroom that they redid (with money I don’t have to spend on a guest bathroom), etc. This is once again a good reminder. Thanks for that…
Thank you for this post. It was so beautifully written. I am writing down that devotional and putting it on my mirror, so that I can read it every day.
Take care,
Lori
http://www.lorimayinteriors.com/blog
Wow! Couldnt of said it better if I tried!!!!!!!!!! I think very blogger should read this and enjoy-rejoice in who they are!! Thank you for putting into words what me-and many others have thought or felt!!
Your post almost paralleled the book I am reading by Beth Moore, ” So long insecurity”. I recommend to ALL WOMEN. Even women who tell me that they don’t have insecurity problems, (which indeed they most likely do). Please read if you are looking for an inspirationally honest read. Its most filling to the heart who is longing for value in a world that sells cheap pleasure and demeans women quicker than an ice cube is currently melting in Texas…. :)
thank you. :)
Emily ~ Thank you. Just…thank you. Christ calls us to be more like Him, not like the unknown I-look-like-I-have-it-all-together blogger with the remodeled kitchen-on-a-budget. In this world where so many women are depressed and feeling empty and unworthy, those of us who are Christ-followers need to point them to only One who can make them feel truly accepted and loved. Thank you for doing so, Emily–and giving us special treats from your creative heart and mind too! :)
Love this post. Thanks for speaking your heart. Just what I needed on a day like today when the dishes are piled up, my hair is a disaster, and I just want to live in my pajamas for the rest of the day. Women do, in fact, put too much emphasis on perfection. I pray that I instill in my children that it’s OK to be imperfect, messed up, and not together all the time. It’s refreshing to know that I’m not the only one who struggles with insecurity. It’s never fun to feel alone. Insecurity is so isolating. God bless you and your sweet {im}perfect family. Blogs do paint a pretty picture, but seriously if we had it all together….wouldn’t life just be a bore??
Great minds think alike. Swing on by and read yesterday’s post on success and today’s post of trying to once again “fall” in love with a house I hate.
I have never thought about it that way, but it is so true. I often read a blog and then look at my own house and see all of the work that it needs or find inadequacies in my own sense of style, because it can often be so different. I know the ladies that write these blogs do not intend for their readers to feel that way. Still loving your blog, thanks for keeping it real.
Such a great post. For whatever reason, this really resonated with me this week. As a fellow “Jones” (my maiden name as well) I detested each and every time someone said that phrase to me. My first and only response was a flippant “You can always try!” I do what I do, and live the life I do because of the choices that my parents had made and now, those that my husband and I make. I hold myself to MY standards – and try so very hard not to be concerned with other people’s standards. It’s definitely a conscious choice! Thanks again for sharing that devotion. It may even wind up framed in my home as a reminder for us and our future family!
I just loved your post! I’m going to be really really honest – I stopped reading craft blogs a while ago because I was making myself crazy. I was bookmarking pictures, writing down my next project {even though my list was already beyond outrageous} and just trying to keep up with all the different ideas/projects out in blogland. I love to get my craft on but it was starting to consume too much time. I had just had to quit cold turkey for a while. I love reading your blog… I get my craft fix but yet you talk about so any other different subjects (your faith, your kids, your house, decorating, etc).. and I always leave feeling inspired.
Signing off now,
the girl who writes really long comments :)
Wow, what an awesome post. Thank you for this and all the other wonderful words you share!!
Thank you for your honesty ~ it’s part of why I look forward to reading your blog. It’s so hard to stop comparing ourselves to others and I really needed the reminder….especially today.
AMEN, sister! I, like you, love my life, hubby, kids…but at times that little voice creeps up when reading my blogs/FB that says that I am not quite enough and that “everyone else has it together, so-why-can’t-I??” So well, said, Emily!!
kristine
Thank you Emily, for writing this… because your blog is one of them that I often envy and think, “How does she do it?” I wonder how you manage to find time to create all of these beautiful things. I wonder how you have made a successful business of your own. I wonder how you have time to feed your kids, look great, and blog all in the same day. Your blog is beautiful and it’s obvious that your soul is too! :) Thank you for sharing! -Erin (http://jenningsbaby.blogspot.com)
what a breath of fresh air. oh how the tears are welling up as i write. i’m blessed by your transparency. thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing the junk. the Lord is doing a work on my heart and reading this post could not have come a better time.
You nailed it, it is so true ! Great post, I love visiting your blog…..
thank you for your honesty. everything you said is so true. i must say i throughly enjoyed your post a few weeks back about how messy your house was. Not to look down on you in any kind of way but at times, i had been doing exactly as you described, “comparing myself to you” and judging myself as coming up very, very short. So when i saw that, it made me feel that although we all have moments of doing great things (vacations, projects, bible studies, etc.) no one is perfect all the time- and that i found relief in.
On the other hand- i must say i absolutely love your blog! I am not crafty or artisitc but since reading your blog and your tutorials i have made my own painted wallpaper (vintage pineapples- *i live in florida), made ribbon hair clips for my daughters, made the most adorable applique onesies for my dear friends’ baby, and i purchased the family seeds “seeds of courage” worship c.d. for my children. So because of you, and your willingness to blog about all the wonderful things you do in your life- i have been inspired to better myself and try things i would never have done before. for that i thank you.
And most importantly, your openness about your faith in the lord is the biggest inspiration of all. i know you have inspired me to think different daily about my walk with god and how i am passing down my faith to my children. for that i am eternally greatful.
so keep being you because your are inspiring people like me to try harder and do better every day.
Thank you for sharing! I stumbled upon your blog about a year ago, and honestly this post is exactly why I keep coming back. I love your decorating ideas and cute tutorials. Of course I wish my home looked like your pictures! But I actually keep coming back because you have shared here and there a few posts just like this. I feel like a know your heart and a little bit more about who you are as a person, and ultimately get encouraged in my walk with the Lord.
So thanks for the reminder today, I needed to hear that. And I’m so glad God has gifted someone else where I am not, so that I can make my home look pretty for my family!
You are sooo right! I reached a point of feeling so inadequate last year that I had to limit my computer time – only occasional postings on my own blog and even less time spent reading others’ blogs. For whatever reason when I had an idea for my own home, if I didn’t see that idea in a picture or in a blog somewhere, then I wouldn’t do it. Because I thought it wasn’t good if someone else didn’t do it already. Once I stopped reading blogs 1-2 hours a day, I started doing whatever I wanted in my own house and couldn’t be happier! My kitchen redo (with dark brown walls, white moroccan tile backsplash, wood cabinets that I refuse to paint, and green island) makes me so happy – because I know that no one else has a kitchen like mine!!
I have also learned that having a perfect house doesn’t exist (unless you have hired help) and who wants to be perfect, anyway?? God thinks we are perfect just the way we are. Even if we don’t have a home….
Love your blog!
Danielle
Thank you for the most genuine, refreshing post I’ve read in a long time. While I too love reading blogs to gain inspiration and ideas, sometimes feelings of inadequacy can set in. That’s when I remind myself that the “eye candy” is often a “false reality.” Thank you for your honesty.
Thank you for your honesty! I love your blog and many others that you link to. It is nice to see the creativity in so many women in the blogs that are available now. It shows how women are finding and using their voice, the voices that God has given them. What a blessing that they are willing to let so many get a glimpse of their lives as they play out each day. Yes, I may only see what you want me to see, but I know that everyone has their struggles each day. You never know the effect that your words can have on someone’s day. I find them uplifting. Thank you for sharing your gifts and your life.
Great post, Emily!
I am noticing more bloggers addressing this topic. I do not have a blog, but I really enjoy reading them. At this point, it is pretty easy for me to edit out the blogs that don’t work for me. Any blog that seems to exist to showcase the blogger’s possessions (whether that be a new bag, shoes, or fancy house) is not on my blogroll. Period. Not only do I not understand why people feel compelled to create these types of blogs (other than boredom or insecurity), I would never DREAM of creating a blog just to post about what I buy and thus create envy in other people.
Your blog is very real, “you” shine through it, and your kind spirit is always evident. Thanks for this!
Amy
I hear ya! Actually though, I love Meg and Ashley’s blogs because in the sea of blogs I read daily, I do feel like they keep it real…or as real as possible without giving up too much privacy etc. I have to admit I have given up on some good blogs because they do depress me…lol.
I remember I read a quote once that said “Don’t read beauty magazines, because you will only feel ugly”…I think the same kinda holds true home/design/lifestyle blogs…
I don’t comment often on any blog, but I really liked what you had to say:)
Allison
Yes! Pornography for women!! I didn’t have a name for it until now….thank you for naming this ‘obsession’……
I completely agree and have been thinking about this alot recently. I’m almost at that point of shutting down my own blog and unplugging for a hwile to get back to reality!
I really needed this post. I have been really struggling lately with feeling this exact way. I was crying to my husband the other day when he asked why I have been acting so depressed and I told him I don’t feel like I am great at ANYTHING compared to so many others. It is a constant struggle to not feel inadequate or guilty about not being the best at everything. Thank you so much for this post. I am an avid reader of your blog and love it.
Hi, I have never left a comment on your blog although I do read it when I have time. I just want to thank you for the reminders that you shared this morning. My blog is for the bettering of my business, so I do not say a whole lot about my personal life. But it is my prayer that those that follow me will see something different. A light shining through for our Lord who has done so much for us. Also, I don’t want to become so caught up in my blog reading, that I forget my more imporant reading. My Bible. Thanks again, Terry from the vintage bricoleur
Thank you, Emily, for your truthful words. I too have been inspired by, motivated by, and addicted to the amazing blogs, and their authors. However, I do often walk away from my computer feeling inadequate, and less talented, creative (fill in any and all other adjectives related to “not good enough”) and thus pretty lousy! Your words are honest, and it is good to know that your blog has a person behind it who is more like the rest of us!
Your post gave me goosebumps and I had to go and read it back over a second time! Beautifully written I must say. I love how you are honest and speak the truth in your post. I once was struggling with the same thing. Constantly jealous of others whether it be looks, talents, etc. I have learned that all of that is just the enemy trying to bring us down and make us feel that way. To make us think we are not “good enough” or “talented enough” and that we dont “measure up” to anything. I believe that God has every ability to turn our weaknessess into strengths. We are a each individually perfect and wonderful in God’s eyes and should try and tell ourselves that is all that matters :)
LOVE.THIS.POST :)
Great message and such a gifted way of saying it. Thank you.
Am reminded that a Christian counselor once told me (when I was struggling with infertility) that you should not compare yourselves to others. Comparisons either make you feel worse that the other person (in which case leads to jealousy, a sin) or makes you feel better than the other person (leading to pride, also a sin). Either way, just don’t do it!!!
However, isn’t that easier said than done!!! Always good to remind ourselves and to cheer each other on in our own paths.
But I still want your boots. :)
beautiful said! thanks for sharing. for me it’s important to remember that blogs aren’t the most important thing and to keep my priorities strait so that my life doesn’t become neglected and I don’t start comparing myself to blogs. Thanks for sharing!
great post. i want to say, your blog is one of my faves and i get excited to read it every day. I am so inspired by your talent, ideas, tutorials, tips, etc. but i also feel your “realness” coming through. i think you do a great job at letting people see reality as well. also, i feel a connection to you because we have 3 boys and a girl on the way {eight days!!}. :)
Wow. Totally just wrote about this today on my blog. A friend suggested your blog after she read what I wrote. You spoke so well what I wanted to say!
wow. profound and true words to my heart. thank you for the reminder of our worth in God’s eyes.
I so appreciate your words of truth today. Blogs are like anything else in life…we must balance the time we spend reading them. (I was actually checking blogs in the morning instead of reaching for my bible…I know…how sad) I have been struck lately at the amount of time that disappears when I am catching up on my favorite blogs…so I have decided to only follow the ones that truly teach and enrich my life….and I also put a limit on the time I spend checking them. May I say yours is on the “keeper” list! Thank you for your honesty and for such an inspiring blog!!
You mentioned porn and the bible in your post…you’re my hero ;) I think you do a good job of just being you on your blog.
What a beautiful and fitting post. I will do my best to remember a lot of this when I read and write! I love that excerpt from the devotional too. Thanks for sharing your feelings and your reality.
We all feel this way whether it’s with a blog we read, our neighbors, friends, or family but the thing to remember is that we are all different and although we may not feel as though we ‘measure up’ we are perfect to those who love us! Thanks for the encouragement to be me!
I posted a link to your post on my blog along with how I feel and hope others will feel on this topic. You can check it out here:
http://livinginlalalandblog.com/2011/08/a-feeling-of-inadaquacy/
Well said, I absolutely love this. It seems sometimes in blogland that we are all on the same wave length sometimes. This is the second article today that I have read on these same issues that being a blogging lady sometimes deals with and it is encouraging to know that others realize this and are simply sincere with their blogging endeavors:)
Honestly, nothing is more refreshing than a blog writer who can truly connect with the readers through honesty and vulnerability. Nothing could be better than leading your readers to scripture and what is true. Thank you for doing that with your blog!!! I completely relate to everything you said and have had to remind my self that what is often presented in blogs is not an accurate portrayal of real life. Thank you for writing what you did.
Wow. I could not agree with you more. I look at blogs everyday, but hate myself afterward. I feel exactly the same. I LOVE the poem. It is totally what I needed today. I feel so imperfect sometimes (a lot) and I just need to be reminded of things eternal and to be reminded of who I really am and where I came from. I appreciate your words. Thank you!
I love your posts because as I have written before your integrity and character shine through! You remind us that we don’t have to resonate a perfect image of our life. If women would just stop trying to show other women that they are better we wouldn’t be left feeling inadequate but only inspired by what they have to share, show, and offer. Too many women are willing to step on each other for the upper hand – to get the job, to look better, to do the next thing better, to get a better deal etc. THAT is why I don’t read lots of blogs because their integrity doesn’t come through. I read your blog every single day feeling that there is someone else out there who just IS and I conclude that for the most part those are the kinds of women who are attracted to your blog as well. Thanks for being an inspiration and wearing your heart on your shoulder!
Thank you for writing what truly goes on in my head, and I’m sure in everyone else’s too. I too love blogs, and would love to start my own, but feel like mine would never be good enough compared to all the others out there. Thanks for being honest. Here’s hoping that all our insecurities subside.
What a blessed treasure you are. Thank you so much for posting this and sharing the devotional that you shared with your children. I went to the book right away and added it to my Amazon cart. Your words are so genuine and timely for me and I hold you close to my heart for sharing them. I reposted with credit back to you and hope that it will make someone else’s day the way you did mine. Blessings to you – K
Hi Emily~
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I think most women can relate, I know I can.
I just want you to know, as someone who loves reading your blog, that I appreciate how honest you are and willing to be and open book. Somehow the comparing seems less intense when the other person is exactly themselves. So, thanks for being you, being creative, and sharing that with us. You are inspiring.
Have a wonderful day!
~Jessica Cadriel
AMEN! So well put. Thank you!
What a beautiful post and so well written. Love the children’s devotional you shared with us too. So good to read, as my home is currently in disarray with many unfinished projects put on hold while I’m designing jewelry without ceasing for my upcoming large shows. Love your spirit!
Gretchen
Thank you so much. This made me cry. It was so timely. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve look at you blog, and others, and have felt inadequate and lacking. Not to the fault of yours mind you. Even as I’ve had those feelings, I knew in my heart that they were wrong and from the enemy.
I’m going to write out that devotional and post it were I will see it everyday.
Wow, I feel like the odd ball here. I have never felt inadequate, insecure, or any thing negative because of reading blogs. Just the opposite. They inspire me.
I love your honesty and God truly uses your words to help so many of us. Thank you for this post it cuts right to the core of how I feel so many times. It reminds me of why I always end up failing when I try to be as ‘good’ as someone else. I am not made to BE them. Thank you for reminding me that I AM a jewel in his crown and that He has a plan just for ME.
yes yes and yes!! thanks for posting. I am also reminded of something I heard Beth Moore say in a recent Bible study I was in: I am Blessed, and I shall not want someone else’s Blessing. I hold onto that so many times. We don’t always know what lurks behind the scenes- not to say that we need to assume that because someone appears to have it all together, they must have some dark horrible secret they are hiding. We just don’t realize how good we have it sometimes. Thanks for a great post. A good reminder to be real once in awhile in our blogs!
as i said last night … we want you to keep doing what you do {smile}. love you friend.
You are just so sweet; thank you for sharing your heart. I love your blog and many others. Blessing on you and your family!!
This is a really nice, honest post to usher in any following ‘fave blogs’ posts. Hopefully it isn’t an uncouth time to let you know that I did recently feature your wonderful blog in a post on things that inspire creativity. I hope that rather than it being bad timing on my part, I could actually help affirm that (for me at least) indeed, your “little corner that is Jones Design Company [is] a place where [I] can come to be encouraged and inspired.”
While sometimes I can struggle with those things a little bit too, it tends to be more with women around me than online. And I can honestly say that with your blog, the huge majority of the time, I am truly just inspired and spurred on to work to attain some of what looks so great in your life. I usually come away with fun ideas for my own life and it makes me want to make pretty things for my home and closet…rather than give me any stifling jealously that may otherwise actually keep someone from moving forward.
So do know that at least for one girl, I think your blog is doing more of what you hope it does….motivate and inspire, rather than conjure a stifling jealousy. Thanks. And do stop by to read my post. I hope these things will make you proud of what God’s been able to accomplish through you, and that I’m not contributing to any accidental big-headedness ;)
Here’s the link: http://andrew-and-krystal.blogspot.com/2011/07/creativity-inspired.html
what a beautiful post. thank you for writing this and reminding us that we are all beautifully and wonderfully made. and thank you for being honest, i have struggled with insecurities my whole life and i am happy to know i am not alone.
Thank you SO much for sharing this… your honesty, important lessons, things from your heart. I can relate to the comparison thing, especially on blogs. It’s so easy to go down that destructive path of thinking you’re better than someone else, or, on the flip side, that you and your life don’t measure up. A little phrase that my husband shared with me that his mother always told him growing up… “It’s a snare to compare.” And it’s very true. I find myself repeating it to myself often, but now sharing it with my own children. Thanks again for sharing. But, especially, thank you for always being an inspiration! When you share the TRUTH in your life (and your heart), it makes reading your blog so much more enjoyable (as if that was even possible!). ;) Blessings to you, Emily!
Thank so much for being real, Emily. Excellent post and a good reminder. I’ll be sharing this with my readers.
God bless,
Jessica
OH my goodness, what an excellent blog post. I have read many a post with this sentiment, but you hit the nail on the head and wrote it so beautifully. It was like I was having a conversation with a good girlfriend. I really needed that today.
I really REALLY love reading blogs too. We even have some favorites in common!
I try to choose blogs (two of which were on your mention list) that often share what you just shared. Life isn’t a perfect as a blog. I like you, I stay home with my children and work from home making children’s clothing. I often receive generous compliment of “how do you do it?” I just want to laugh–I quickly reassure them that it is a daily struggle, we all have 24 hours in a day. If I am working and creating something cute, then I’m not getting my bathrooms clean or doing laundry or not playing with my kids. Everything is a trade off, if you are doing really well at one thing then that probably means you had to let something else slide. I try to read blogs, like yours, that remind me no one is perfect, but rather inspire ME to be the best ME I can be!! Thanks for doing that!
My husband has been saying for ages that blogs are my “house porn”. I see he’s not the only one that’s drawn that comparison!
I receive your posts by email and look forward to them. They’re a bright spot in my day and since I write a blog (two actually, but one is a bit dormant…) about food and get a bit saturated with it all, I need to escape to the design world frequently. I know how much work it takes to create on the level that many bloggers seem to keep pace with. I’ve heard others discuss comparisons in the food world, and know that as much as it is unfortunate that people are inclined to think about comparing themselves with others, they will struggle not to. Appreciating what one has accomplished and keeping an eye to others who can inspire and instruct works for me. Loved your writing here, and especially the wonderful links. I’m always looking for more inspiration. Thanks! p.s. My niece recently was married and made her own paper flowers using your pattern. The bouquets were gorgeous!
Thank you so much for sharing this. All of it. The analogy. The devotional. The honesty. You have a beautiful spirit. I feel it through your kind words of not wanting others to feel inadequate when they read your blog. You are endearing. You are real. That is what draws readers to you. This post you wrote recently made me smile! https://jonesdesigncompany.com/thoughts/the-state-of-affairs/ Many bloggers can’t do this! Share their real reality, not just the one they have cropped and photoshopped!
Thank you for the encouraging words!
so very true! i have felt all the same things.
so i just have this to ask….if it is pornography for women…should we not read them at all?
is there a balance?
truly, i have felt encouraged and inspired by your blog, thankyou very much!! :)
Very good question and one I’ve thought about a bit.
I don’t think blogs are like porn in that the content is harmful {even sinful}, but more that their effect can be the same. We can become addicted to something that is not real and then feel worse about our real lives as a result.
In high school, I decided that fashion magazines just weren’t good for me. Every time I opened one up, I left feeling like I was never going to be as beautiful or stylish as the models in them. So I decided that I should just give them up. And I really haven’t looked at them since.
I don’t think fashion magazines are evil, or that the models are somehow the ones to blame for my insecurities. They are gorgeous and I’d much rather look at someone beautiful who is made up than someone who just rolled out of bed. I get that. The issue was not with them, but with me. If I don’t have the confidence in myself to be able to look at someone pretty without feeling bad about myself, that is the problem.
Pornography is not the problem {although I do have a problem with it}, it is the person who is using it as an escape.
This is a touchy subject, and I’m probably offending some, but perhaps a good conversation starter ….
I’ve always enjoyed your blog but until now have always thought that if I actually met you in person (we have a mutual friend) I might be so intimidated. I can no longer feel that way. Your vulnerability is so refreshing in blog world and a reminder to me that we are all just people with bad hair days, messy closets and mood swings. Thanks Emily, I hope I DO meet you in person one day!
My husband has been saying this since i’ve entered blog world. SO SO SO TRUE! Your awesome to put it out there and to remind us! Thank You
This is an awesome post Emily. Often, I have considered quitting the blog thing because of what you’ve expressed here, and because I want my kids to know ME, not the blog me. Also, I want to develop real life friendships and it’s hard to compare those to people who always say nice things day after day. I used to be very sucked in to all that, and was reading about 100 blogs a day! It was an insane cycle. One day I just quit doing it. I can’t tell you what it feels like to average 75 comments per post, and then when you quit the whirlwind of commenting on every blog you can get your hands on, and commenting back to each person who comments on your blog, you suddenly drop to a few 15 or so faithful commenters. It messes with your head a little bit, but then when I remembered why I was backing up, it’s like it all clicked into place and into the prioritization it should have been all along. So easy to make blogging an obsessive, idol. I really appreciate your words. Your blog is one of the few that I still make time to read. Mainly because you share your heart, along with your creativity, and there’s something very endearing about that- it’s what I do, so I relate to it. It feels real in this very unreal blogworld of glossy lifestyles. Thank you for this post. You are precious.
Blessings,
Sasha
SO needed. Such good words. Thank you for your honesty. My feelings couldn’t be more exact. Keep up the good work!
It is interesting that you posted this so recently after BlogHer…we got quite a few comments about this exact subject as a result of attendance at their conference. And it is funny too…at our R&R conference next February I plan on broaching just this subject in the class I’m teaching… how to be authentic, find your true self, and live a life to blog about – not the other way round.
Hope you’ll join us at The Blog Guidebook and even the R&R Conference!
Great post Emily!
Thank you.
Thank you, such a breath of encouragement to speak truth.
I LOVED this post. The internet has helped the proliferation of feelings of inadequancy, I believe. We are allowed to only post the stuff we want others to know! I’ve thought about this in my own blog and I love that you are being honest. That quote from the devotional is so true, too, either of the two reactions are not Godly. This is such a good reminder, so thanks for this post!
Emily, this is a beautifully written post. I love how many bright, clever and creative people freely share their ideas through blogs and really enjoy seeing how others make their homes pretty and functional, or make delicious food or fun crafts or enjoy their family. It IS easy to get feel envious though, and I’m glad you address it so openly. I constantly need to check myself that our imperfect home is more than enough for us, and we are blessed to have it and the people who live in it. I can’t stress enough to my children how important it is to have an attitude of gratitude and need to remind myself to be inspired by beautiful blogs instead of feeling inadequate by them. Thank you for writing about this and sharing some of your faves!
Great post! I have most certainly struggled with this myself. Thank you for the encouragement!
You sound like a wonderful woman Emily and even though I don’t know you I want you to know that I admire you. Your words touched my heart. It is hard nowadays to find honest women that will share these types of thoughts so genuinely and strive to uplift others that they come in contact with, but your post was most certainly uplifting. Thank you.
Well stated. You lost me with the porn, but you pulled it all together, wonderfully.
I just want to say I love you! Thank you for being genuine. I think that’s where we get so hung up. I love hearing about those little imperfections. I have never felt, btw, that you are trying to portray an image of perfection or something we should all be jealous of. That’s why I stop by your blog often. I love that you’re bad at making meals. Cause I am too! You have fab ideas and are a beautiful person – keep going!
I understand you totally!! I am new to all these mom blogs. I love seeing how other creative moms like me live. we room arrangers are few and I finally feel like I am not alone with you all to follow. I do feel like my house could be cleaner. my kids could do more crafts. etc etc. here I sit on a rainy northeast morning procrastinating doing any one of the seven saved blogs entry crafts with my kids that are still in my inbox! it is in our low points that we feel warm and fuzzy knowing we are not alone. thanks for your honesty. xo
Great reminder to find contentment in — and fully LIVE — the life God has given each of us, personally. After all, it’s when we live *our own* life that we’re able to touch those around us. Thanks!
Thank you for your heart, Emily! You captured my feelings and those of so many … just the other day at a Bible study, some of us shared how blogs are a way for us gals to move out of our reality (of the craziness of homemaking) for some peace and (seeming) calm. Even for 5 minutes.
I completely agree with everything you said. Blogs really fuel the envy I feel about my home, being a Mom and generally where I am at in my life. At the same time I find that there are posts like this that remind me of why I love them so much!
What a lovely and raw post. Thank you for sharing the devotional…it is from children that we can learn the most, no? So it is fitting that we can be humbled by lessons created for them. I personally feel inspired and warmed by your blog and the glimpse of your life that you share with your readers. Thank you.
-Teresa
What a beautiful post and a reminder that we are each a gem within his crown. Hugs
Beautifully said.
And selfishly happy to know I’m not the only one.
Janna
I really needed this today!! I have been struggling with jealousy, and in many ways blogs have fueled it. Not because I wish I could decorate better (which of course I could afford to do) or that I don’t have as many followers but because I was jealous of them having children. So much so I stopped following blogs that I loved that were about babies or families because my jealousy was so deep. I needed the reminder that I am “perfectly and wonderfully made” and I do not need to have what others have to have our Lord’s love. Nor do I need to wallow in my self pity and not celebrate the joys of others even if it’s “just online.” Sometimes the hardest part of accepting your life for what He wants it to be is celebrating someone elses life you wish you had, even through a blog.
Blessed by your post, for sure. I have been blogging off and on but just finished designing a blog I am proud to send my event clients to and I have a heart to mix my business and inspiration with real life and love for Jesus. Thank you for setting such a beautiful example. I love reading your blog – partly because it keeps me inspired but also because it keeps me on my toes. I pray continued success for you as you reach out to inspire and encourage you readers.
Truly, I could echo every word you typed! And I don’t even have a blog but I read them! Really appreciate you so much & thanks for inspiring me to be ME!
Blessings –
PS. Totally understand & with you on the crying thing!
So very true! Thank you for posting this! I once had a facebook friend tell me after I posted some struggles I was having as my FB status update “Its nice to see you actually have bad days.” I was taken back by the statement. because of course I have bad days! She seemed almost happy that I had struggles going on – which is terrible! I wondered if I my online image was that of perfection. Which is beyond true. It did make me step back and think about what I am posting…on things like FB and my blog. I love your blog :)
Thanks for sharing that Emily! So true. I love the devotional you shared. What book is that from?
It is from the book Jesus Calling for Kids. Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400316340/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=084235087X&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0N0GJP0X6F1Y5TGPAM26
I cry at the belgua whales as well… they are beautiful creatures. I dont think that’s stupid. Just another character trait that adds up to the whole package of what makes you, YOU! :o)
I’ve always had a thing for sea mammals … they are so amazing, aren’t they? :)
Can I come hug you? Loved this post!
You have summed up perfectly how I feel about blogging and blog reading. There was a time that I stopped blogging or even reading blogs because I felt that it interfered with who GOD wanted me to be. I’m growing though, and so far I’m managing all of the negative feelings and instead I’m able to see them for what they are…entertaining inspiration. I may link back to this post, this is something that’s been on my heart for quite some time. Thanks so much for your honesty. God bless you. Carrie
Comparison has been on my mind lately.
This was perfectly honest and refreshing.
Thank you.
Great as always!! Wonderful words!! Great for all of us Mamas who struggle with the reminders of our inadequacies ….. we all wish/ hope we were more… It is great to be reminded that I am who I am suppose to be!!
Very well-put, Emily.
Obviously, from all 43 or so comments above me, you (and I) are not alone in this thinking, but I just had to add my 2 cents, which is that I especially liked your honesty in saying that you wish you could just see others’ successes and feel happy for them instead of feeling that seed of insecurity beginning to sprout…I would add that I wish I could feel happy for others without wishing, at least a little bit, that it were I instead of they who were receiving the accolades.
Sad, but true.
Honestly, I JUST wrote a post about this last week that started with this sentences: “Confession: I had a serious blogging comparison pity-party this morning. One of those I-get-overwhelmed-by-all-the-talented-bloggers-out-there-and-start-to-get-down-on-myself-because-I-will-never-measure-up-to-real-blogger-standards (I’ve exceeded the legal limit for dashes, so I’ll quit) moments.”
Have you heard the song Forever Reign? It was God’s response to my pity-party that day, and it was amazingly spot-on: http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/2011/08/forever-reign.html (I’m not just trying to get you to visit my blog, I promise! : ) The song-words are too long to post in a comment…but SO worth reading/singing).
Thanks for keepin’ it real!
~Abbie
Thank you, I needed this reminder today.
Amen! beautifully written, thanks for sharing this today :)
“Remember that I made you just the way I want you to be.” I’m going to write this in my prayer journal. And return to it many times, I’m sure.
Simply put, I thank you.
*hugs*
Best blog post of yours EVER! You are amazing and truly an inspiration. I love that devotion! I have to print that out and keep it on my desk. You are not alone, obviously. We all love you and I get where you are coming from completely! *especially the crying at the buluga whales… I am the same way, an utter mess while at Sea World!* LOL! Thanks for all you do… you’ve inspired me to start my own blog and the one thing I have learned most from you is to post what you know and be honest and true to yourself. :) OK, well that’s 2 things.
hi, Emily,
I haven’t really gotten to know you in blogland, although i’ve seen so many wonderful things about you & your talents. Your post resonates so much with me & so many others I’m sure. We all struggle in this blogosphere with comparison, it is just a natural thing that our flesh has to get control of. I am not sure it ever goes away (I’ve been blogging almost 5 yrs.), but it does get better. I’ve grown to realize that I’m just who God made me, with all my struggles & fears, & that my story is important to share. My hope is that what I’ve been through will inspire other women to grow & embrace their creativity too. We all have a place in blogland!
Thank you for your heartfelt post. I especially needed it this morning while trying to keep my 2, 4, and 6 year olds entertained AWAY from me so that I can finally have five minutes of peace to eat my breakfast!
I understand just what you mean about blogs as pornography for women. I find myself thinking of the online lives I read about instead of focusing on my own life and family during the day. I would love for my home to look “done” but I am not the creative type, nor do I have enough time to start and complete a big project these days. So I spend too much time looking at other’s homes and lives and wishing deep down that my own life was as wonderful, when really, just as you said, blogs only give us a glimpse (and mostly positive, or at least funny when sharing the upsets) into that other life. Thank you for the reminder that each of us is unique and special, and a jewel in God’s crown!
I am encouraged by your honesty. Too many women are afraid to be transparent. I think that is sad. God’s grace shines most when we share our insecurities and imperfections with others. Thank you for sharing your talent as well as your imperfections.
This is exactly what I needed this morning~ how God ordained. Thank you so much. Becoming a highly-followed blogger had preempted all else in my life. I needed a reality check. I think my blogging had become my ‘golden calf’.
Seriously love your blog :) Thanks though for the wake-up call.
Emily, Your honesty is so refreshing! ..and I totally agree with everything you said. Thanks for pointing me to the gospel today. <Lauren
Emily, yours was the first blog I began reading on a regular basis before you had your sweet little girl and I have been so inspired by your words ever since! What you spoke of today is something I have been REALLY struggling with lately and have been trying my best to keep in perspective. Thank you so much for your honesty! You have a beautiful heart!
Oh Emily! what a beautiful post! and Im glad Im not the only one that has sometimes referred to blogs as “porn”- LOL. This is something we all need to hear-thank you for sharing this!!!
Thank you for your post. There are two different ways of comparing yourself to others. One is by thinking that everyone else has life put together and feeling like your life is not. The other way of comparing is by thinking you are better than others because of the things you have done or abilities you have. I unfortunately have a habit of doing both. It is something I must try to correct because that is not the mind of Christ.
I think you wrote this just for me =) My biggest struggle and conviction lately has been seeking others approval and others opinions about me…also leads to MUCH comparison….I love how you compared blog reading to “porn”…harsh, but a true reality, especially because this seems to be the very heart of where women’s insecurities lie. I’m praying daily for confidence in who I am in Christ and for peace and contentment on the path I’m walking.
Thanks for sharing and speaking the truth in love.
Amen and AMEN!!!!
“We are who we believe we are.”
~C.S. Lewis
My blog has been a source of confidence as well as insecurity. Our everything should come from Him- oh how do we daily remember this?! I can see God reaching others through you . . . keep listening sweet sister!
Blessings to you!
Thank you for posting this. It’s like you know us! ;) Your little corner of the world wide web HAS been a place for me to feel inspired and encouraged, rather than defeated and insecure. A rare quality in the blogging world. So thank you!
you were made to be you.
you were made to be you.
you were made to be you.
I will repeat this every day.
thank you!
xo
I love that you voiced this. I truly enjoy each of the blogs I follow and am excited to get their posts in my “in” box, but the minute I start comparing my life to what I think theirs are, I need to step back. We women can sometimes torture ourselves with what we perceive to be true. So much more fun when we just enjoy each others’ achievements without letting that feeling diminish our own. Beautifully put, sista!
Oh my goodness, I think many of us feel this way. It’s hard to feel like you measure up but my guiding light has always been WHY I blog…for me….I just need to do it….and whatever comes out, comes out but i’m not any of those other people, even though they are amazing and awesome. It’s good that we aren’t all clones of eachother and as long as it makes you happy to write, post, and design, that’s all that matters. I just finished a major re-fresh of my blog and in the beginning I was comparing it a lot to other blogs, trying to make it “perfect”….but then i just gave up and did it how I wanted to….and I love it!
This is SO beautiful, amazing and TRUE. I find myself doing the same thing more often than I care to admit. I think it’s easy through blogs as well, because the “picture” of someone we see is painted through what they write–not what they don’t. So, it’s easy for us to assume they are as perfect & amazing as they seem because we don’t see their faults. I think you do an amazing, wonderful job of being very open and speaking your truth. BTW, you do have an amazing house, a beautiful talent and a wonderful family! :)
Oh, Emily! This was so beautiful. You’re SO real and inspiring.
As tears are rolling down my cheeks I need to say thank you to you for posting this! That little devotional speasks to my soul. I want so much to be confident in who I am and am majorly struggling with that lately. Before my precious little girl is old enough to be able to notice that Momma is not happy with how she looks, or how she takes care of the house, etc… I want to be happy with who I am. I want her to grow up with a confident momma so that she can grow into a confident young woman who knows that God made her to be just the person she is…. beautiful, wonderful, with her own talents and uniqueness!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this reminder today! :-)
And tho it may be a bit of an extreme comparison… I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that blogs can be like pornogrophy for women.
So true! I often read blogs and think, “why didn’t I think of that” or “I wish I could take pictures like that” or “I wish I could write like that!” But the truth is, I’m happy just the way I am. I read that devotion and found myself shaking my head in agreement the whole time. I need to print that out to remind myself daily that I am special in my own right and loved unconditionally by many, but most importantly my Lord. Thanks so much for such an inspiring post!
Oh my gosh, Emily, thank you for posting this. I really needed to hear it and it’s so funny because I was just explaining this exact thing to my husband this weekend. I see it especially in blogs….making your life look perfect, when perfection isn’t possible, but I also see it in most all of my relationships with other women. It’s a hard thing – being a woman!! Thrifty Decor Chick did an awesome post on this topic a few months ago, but’s it’s so good to hear it from you. I really look up to you and your family and your creativity, so this was so great to read! Thank you for encouraging me to be happy with my beautiful mess of a life!
Of course, I can relate. Thank you much for your desire to encourage and inspire.
What an encouraging post! Although we know these things its so very easy to get caught up in wanting what others have even though that is not what God wants for our life. Thank you for your transparency and for being the real you! I pray it encourages those who read it just as it encouraged me this morning!
Thank you for being genuinely real and transparent…this is what every women deals with (spoken or unspoken). What a powerful reminder….thank you!!
Such a great post! Your post to me is what blogging is TRULY all about, or SHOULD be about. Sharing your heart, true thoughts whether it’s showing confidence, insecurities or other stuff. Just being true to yourself and your readers in my opinion is what blogging is really about… Sharing your creativity in such a public way is very difficult and a fine line. I try not to come across as “bragging” (i.e., look what I have done) but it’s also hard to contain my excitement when I stumbled across and created something that I am beyond excited about. It’s a fine line and would never want to come across to my readers as “perfect” and I go to great lengths in each of my posts to share the thought process including my insecurities because I believe in sharing the whole process. I have always read blogs with a grain of salt and prefer blogs where someone is sharing the WHOLE picture with me, the good, the bad, the ugly! Thank you for sharing and opening up this discussion! I look forward to see the conversation!
Clicking through from my reader to thank you for this post. I can’t help myself but to feel completely inadequate whenever I see Nicole’s monthly photo pics of her kids over at Making it Lovely. (http://makingitlovely.com/2011/08/08/six-months-old-augusts-monthly-photo/). I have to remind myself every time that I am not a bad person for not having my life together enough to have done this for one, let alone, TWO kids. I also have to remind myself that SHE is not a bad person for HAVING the time/inclination/persistence to do this.
So true. I just saw this print on Pinterest “Don’t let comparison steal your joy.” It really reminded me of being content with what I have (Philippians 4:11-13). That’s a powerful thing. Comparison can steal that. Sometimes I view blogging as a blessing and curse. I keep at it because mostly it encourages and inspires me, but I have at times felt inadequate because of comparison. I just have to remember to be who I am (who God created me to be) and that’s good enough.
Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for giving me the realization that I’m not the only one who plays the comparison game and for sharing that wonderful devotional.
Thank you for writing such an honest, thought-provoking post.
I’ve been blogging myself only since October and have considered quitting many times recently for that same reason – “I can’t measure up” or “If I can’t blog as beautifully/originally/creatively as she does than maybe I shouldn’t blog at all.”
Reading others’ blogs can also be likened to reality TV. The time I spend reading others’ blogs could be redirected toward doing something productive in my own life. I often think “would I rather live my life or blog about it?”. That is a question each one of us has to answer.
Let me leave you with a verse to think about when you are tempted to compare yourself to another. Gal 6:4-5 says, “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.” Emphasis on “without comparing himself (or herself) to somebody else.” Hope that helps you, friend.
We all have strengths and we all have struggles but it is in sharing our stuggles that we can be a blessing to the hurting. God has a funny way of taking our brokenness and using it for good when we allow him to.
It is honesty like this that keeps your blog on my list of favorites. Finding lots of inspiration and beautiful ideas I can actually use without a ton of money is the icing on the cake!
very nicely written!!
Well said, my friend. Jealousy/inadequacy/insecurity {take your pick} are such wasted emotions. They will get you nowhere other than right where the enemy wants you. If you feel defeated, unworthy, uncalled… whatever, his well laid plans can so easily come to fruition. He wins. I think it is important for women to keep focused on their strengths and let those other women, with all those seemingly endless gifts and talents, inspire you rather than intimidate you. Allow them to build you up in an area in which you are weak. And realize there was and always will be only ONE who was perfect.
thank you.
just. thank you.
cheryl xox.
Wow! This really hit home Emily. This is why I and so many others keep coming back to read your blog. You are honest, you admit your weaknesses, and show us behind the scenes shots that let us know that you’re life/house is not always perfect. You always put things into perspective spiritually, which makes me step back and think (without every feeling preachy). Like you said we are all insecure and in a world of Facebook, Blogs, Pinterest, etc. it’s easy to feel inadequate or even, better than someone else. I thank you for putting it out there today and for reminding us that our lives, our gifts, our homes, our God, should be cherished. Thank you.
Love it! I enjoy reading blogs, getting and sharing ideas. Of course, then feeling completely inadequate for the lack of excitement in my dinner plan, or the lack of things I taught my boys, or the lack of creativity for the day. But when you read post likes yours today, it’s a nice reminder that we are all normal and all doing the best we can. Because what really matters is not what I taught my boys today it’s that I was with them. Thanks for keeping things real!
Emily, your honesty is refreshing! I have never been able to be what I am not, put on a front, be fake, my emotions, my heart are worn on my sleeve. While it may be tough, it’s also what’s beautiful, being empathetic, aware, etc. So, thank you for being you, being open, this is why I return to your blog because I know while you want to offer your readers a beautiful place to come to, you keep it real ;)
While I love what the blogging world can offer and offers me writing, I also think it’s so important to be aware of all the things you mentioned. Maybe it’s that I’m turning 35 this year, but I truly don’t want to live anyone’s life but mine and that feels so good! Can’t say I don’t wish the things you said too sometimes, who doesn’t;) but just knowing that likely is not complete reality and this has all been planned for me, how special!!
Thank you again for being true to you…and the crass jokes and crying at whales sounds completely normal here! ;)
Thanks you so much for posting this! I couldn’t have said it better myself. Sometimes I actually feel relief when i see that other women struggle with feeling crabby at times, or like you said, haven’t opened your Bible in a week, etc. Because I can relate. I don’t want to take joy in other people’s struggles, but it’s good to know that other bloggers are human too. No one’s life is perfect and it’s useless to compare ourselves to others.
My heart resonated deeply with everything you said. thanks for sharing your heart!
amazing post. It is all about OUR hearts as we read. We need to remember that we have the gifts that God gave us, and not so-and-so. But this surely is a challenge!
When we compare ourselves to Jesus, we are DEFINITELY inadequate… but the truth is, He calls us His own. And we are a jewel in His crown.
beautiful, emily.
That hit the spot! Exactly what I needed to hear on a Monday morning. Thank you for your encouraging words!
Love this, Emily. Thank you for taking the time to compose such a transparent, honest post. The comparison of blogs to porn was a bit shocking but ultimately true, I think. I’ve been weaning myself off blogs recently for this very reason. I leave with same feelings I have after looking through fashion magazines . . . never satisfied with what I have even though what I have is very, very good (just like our God).
Keep up the great work!
I love your honesty and the devotion you shared. I think this is a human condition we all struggle with. A wonderful reminder to keep balance in our lives. You are an inspiration to me.
Recently came across this quote from a Roosevelt (Teddy? Eleanor? Franklin? does it matter?)…. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Love!
Wow…I’ve been feeling this struggle for a while. I’ve even said the same thing about the pornography comparison!;) It’s such a battle for me to have a healthy balance with the blog world and my spiritual walk. There have been times when I’ve considered giving it up completely because I feel like I’m not strong enough to resist the comparison trap and that the computer time and blog land pulls me away from the very gift that God’s given me in my children and family. I’m still in the process of praying about it and trying to figure out God’s place for it, if any, in my daily life. Thanks for sharing your heart on the matter!
from one jones girl to another (my maiden was jones also!), i totally get ya. thanks for sharing this and for the good reminder to once again take every thought captive to Christ! blessings! :)
A breath of fresh air, I pray it wafts through blogland. Very real words, I truly appreciate your transparency and willingness to lift us up as readers (and writers!). Thanks Emily!
I have definitely come across blogs where the author seems self-righteous to me and makes me feel inadequate by bragging on their loads of designer clothes, their perfect ability as a new mom, etc, etc. I delete those blogs quickly from my list and focus on the ones (like yours) like lift me up, inspire me, make me want to try new things, etc. And there are many of those out there. Everyday, I read at least one blog and have an “ah-ha” moment about something, whether its how to re-paint furniture in a new way or how to handle a toddler tantrum with a better method. I love this part of the blog world and I think its great to be able to “socialize” with other moms in this way because I don’t necessarily get to do that in my real life everyday.
Thanks Emily! You are and will always be one of my favorite bloggers! :)
Thank you for sharing your heart here today. I don’t have a blog (yet!), but I have often thought how easy it would be to get into the mire of comparing your blog to others. With that said, as a reader, I love who YOU are in this virtual blog-land and the place you have created for all of your readers to visit. You might like reading Bethany’s post from the other day at b*spoke blog. Here’s the link:
http://bspokeblog.com/bdaily/bdaily-on-the-anverage-day/
Emily, this post was like you were speaking directly to my heart and thoughts today. I have just recently gone through my blogroll and deleted several blogs who have been leaving me very frustrated lately. Too much drama and junior high girl action going on! We are supposed to be grown women here supporting each other and when it gets to the point that is no longer the case, I will no continue to be part of their “world”. I think many people feel as you do but are afraid to put a voice to their feelings. Thankfully you speak for many of us.
Judy
Sing it, Sistah!!!!!!!!
Jenny
i love your transparent heart
& that you cry at the belugas
and that you share about your closed bible this week
(me too. both of them. sigh)
and it’s because of your transparent heart
that you are & will be one of my most favorite places to visit!!!
xo
This is such an inspired, amazing, intentional post! You put into words what we all think/do, etc! Amazing…that part of the sermon yesterday at my church was discussing idolatry…and how today it’s not just worship other Gods…it’s putting value over anything higher than our relationship with him. Blogging, crafting, decorating, or whatever has become our “pornography for women” can certainly become that idol…and it’s SO important for us to recognize it and keep it in check. Thank you again for an amazing “real to me” reminder…
i couldn’t agree more! i appreciate your honesty!
ashley
I love this. Great post!!!
So true Emily,
Blogging has been an inspiring and fascinating hobby for me. The friends I have made and the direction it has pointed my life is phenominal and fun and inspiring in so many ways. However it does have some problems. It can seem very one dimensional. Sharing noly the good, only what we want others to see is not a true representation of our lives, our personalities or our homes. We all know we “crop out the messes” Your analogy is perfect. We must remember that what we see portrayed here isn’t always real life.
So TRUE, thanks for putting it out in the open as something I know I struggle with in the whole blog world. I am very inspired by your blog and enjoy reading it very much. Thanks for your honesty!