07 Mar The Ten Best Posts from Joy in the Journey
The past month has been chock-full of editing for me. I’ve also been mulling over some future blog posts, but while they’re still in the works, I decided to hash out exactly why I blog. This appears to be my season for soul searching, so I’m embracing it.
I’ve been blogging for a number of years. When I go back and look at my earliest posts, I chuckle at myself. I called the blog Daily Treats. (Insert eye roll.) I mostly wrote about Camilla—because she was a toddler and adorable and since I only had one child, I thought motherhood was everything it’s cracked up to be. Over the years, my blog morphed. I began to share about deeper topics, digging into my struggles, laying bare some of my innermost thoughts. In some ways I think of myself as a private person. I like to be alone. I need space to be quiet and still. There are some things I’ll only share after I know you really well. However, I’ve been so honest and vulnerable in this space, if you read many of my posts, you have a pretty good picture of who I am. I don’t try to be perfect here. Even if I wanted to, I know I can’t keep up that charade for long.
I changed the name of the blog to Joy in the Journey, inspired by a song by Michael Card. I’ve always struggled against perfectionistic tendencies, so my goal in life (as ironic as that may sound) is to find joy in the journey, rather than in some arbitrary destination like a clean house or finishing the laundry. I blog about the journey, and what God is teaching me along the way. I blog because it’s good for me. It’s a different kind of outlet for my writing. I love to see my readers enjoying the posts. Hint: that means I love comments!
Whether you’ve been reading for a long time, or you’ve just stumbled across my blog this week, I thought you might like to see a list of my personal favorite blog posts. These are the posts that best represent my reasons for blogging. I want to share my life with you. I want you to be encouraged. I want you to feel like you belong.
This Post Has Little To Do With the Pictures–This was the first post I wrote that sounds like my current blogging voice. It’s about trying to be perfect and comparing myself to others (especially other moms). When I read this post, I realize how far I’ve come in the past seven or eight years. I’ve risen to a new level of accepting dirt and disarray in our lives! I think that’s a good thing.
On Beauty–A timeless message, though I wrote it in 2011.
Sweet Surrender–I was re-reading this post, wondering if I should actually include it because of all the references to Third Day, etc. By the time I got to the end, I was surrendering myself again. I think it’s good enough to make the list.
My Story (or one of them, anyway)–How the semester I spent in Colorado Springs changed my life.
Mourning and a Happy Birthday–This one’s a tearjerker for me. I wrote it while I was pregnant with Eva, the year following my miscarriage.
A Day in the Life–I wrote this post when Eva was a baby and I was homeschooling Camilla. (What was I thinking?) It makes me realize that as the children grow, the craziness may change, but it doesn’t go away!
Terror by Night–This one is a bit of a shocker if you haven’t heard the story before. I include it here because God’s protection over my life made such an impact on me. I hope this post encourages your faith as well.
Today is the Day–Again with the perfectionism! This is about making better choices now, rather than expecting life to be perfect at some magical moment in the future. Unfortunately, it looks like some of the photos in this post didn’t migrate from my old blog very well. They’re somewhat blurry!
Unpacking Motherhood–If you read only one post from this list, make it this one, especially if you’re a mom.
Beauty is in the Eye of the Creator–This post may be my favorite from 2017. It was even talked about on a radio show!
So there’s my list. If you’ve been reading here for a while, what are your favorites?
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