I used to post here six or seven times a week. Then I wrote five days a week. Then three days a week…you see where this is going. Now I’m lucky when I get a post up here once a week.
It’s been a slow fade, but a fade nonetheless.
I have plenty of reasons. Good ones too. I work more. I became a dad to a boy. And then a girl too. And I’m married. Oh and I try to have hobbies that take me away from my screens.
But the real reason lies underneath the surface. Every day I see people publish writings online that are sin-gratifying, Christ-abhorring pointless drivel. They use their words to tear down, to draw attention to self, and to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Sometimes those things motivate me to write. “I can publish something better,” I say to myself. But let’s be honest, I’ve done just as much flesh-gratifying, attention drawing, pointless writing myself.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.”
Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 5:2, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.”
Putting those two together forces me to consider the weight of words, and pushes me to wait on publishing them.
If you have read advice for online writing you know the point is to ship, to produce click-able headlines, to use lists and easily scannable text. But what if all this misses the point of publishing words in the first place? Words hold weight—the power to breathe new life, and the power to destroy life.
The book industry puts years of work into every traditionally published book. Maybe the world of online word publishing would do well to consider waiting before shipping. No one will likely follow my lead, but I want my words to carry the right weight rather than just throwing punches.
