I've said it before, but I have to say it again- the words that are the hardest to write are often the ones that most needed to be written.
Last Thursday, I wrote about the fact that living with an invisible illness is like being a superhero.
It was a difficult post to write, and I sat there working off and on for several hours- writing, deleting, rewriting again- before I finally decided it was finished and ready to be published. In all honesty, I wasn't entirely sure I would finish it that day.
Some moments it would seem as though the words poured out of my head and jumped onto the screen. Other moments, it felt like I had to pry them out of my brain with a crowbar.
This topic is so deeply personal for me- and for many other people, as well!- that it was important for me to get it right.
When I had finally decided I was done, I took a few moments (as I always do) to look over the finished product. As I read back through the words I'd written, I knew that this was a good thing. I knew it was something that needed to be published.
But even though I liked what I'd written, there was a certain amount of doubt.
But even though I liked what I'd written, there was a certain amount of doubt.
So often it seems that words from someone as quiet as myself have a tendency to get lost in the noise. Was this just going to get lost, too? Drowned out by all of the other voices that are part of the fray? And is it really worth the effort if that was their fate?
But in the end, I just decided that no matter how few people ended up reading my words, it was worth it. It was worth putting myself out there and making myself vulnerable. It was worth allowing other people inside those carefully constructed walls I build around my private life.
So I did it. I pushed the button.
After it was published, I didn't give much thought to it. I shared my blog post in a few places where I knew it could be beneficial (Facebook pages, Pinterest boards etc.) so that people could find it, but after that, I just sort of moved on.
The next morning, I got on my computer to do some schoolwork. For a while, I had almost completely forgotten about the blog post I had written the day before. It wasn't until late afternoon that I thought about checking to see if anyone had read it.
So you can imagine my surprise when I saw that it had gotten over 100 views! In my world, this is tantamount to going viral.
It had resonated with and touched so many people in such a short amount of time. It made people laugh, and it made people smile. It brought attention to something very close to me.
And interestingly enough, this isn't the first time something like that has happened. It seems that the words I find the hardest to write and publish are the words that end up meaning the most.
I think it's like that a lot in life. The words we find hardest to say and the things we find hardest to do God uses to accomplish great things.
I think it's like that a lot in life. The words we find hardest to say and the things we find hardest to do God uses to accomplish great things.
Sometimes we just have to get out of the way and let Him move.
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Has there ever been a time when you were scared to do something, and it ended up meaning more than you ever imagined? Tell us your story in the comment section below, over at my Facebook page, or you can even email it to me at anastasiarosewrites[@]gmail[.]com.
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101 Things: Counting Down
Just look at all of those paper cranes!
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101 Things: Counting Down
Just look at all of those paper cranes!
