Matter

It's a little bit sad to me that a blog post about something I've been learning about on a heart level can get so few likes on Facebook, when I could probably share a picture of a sea otter (I love sea otters too....) and double or triple the likes. This is far from a plea for likes. I don't write for Facebook likes; I write because I enjoy expressing myself in this way. But I think it's a scary observation about our society.

I do the same thing too. I'm not trying to condemn or judge anyone. I fail to read long posts on Facebook or skip over links to blog posts because "I don't have the time" or "I'll come back to it later" or some other excuse. I miss out on a chance to learn more about someone's heart because I am looking for the metaphorical sea otter picture.

We live in a quick-hitting, fast-paced society that is only accelerating. We live in a world of ten-second Snapchats, six-second Vines, and 140-character Tweets. Is there a lost desire for knowing each other deeply, preferring to spread ourselves thin over eight different social media platforms? Is this the reason I so often think that other people have perfect lives, while highly criticizing my own? I don't know. I'm not even trying to berate social media. I like social media for the most part. This post isn't even about social media or about society. Those are just questions I wrestle with. I don't know.

Sharing a piece of my heart is a scary thing for me, especially on social media. I'm not afraid of having a small amount of likes, but what scares me is that my life can simply be lost in the shuffle. And not simply sharing a picture or a one liner, but sharing something that shares a deeper picture of who I am and who I am becoming. I'm scared that I'll find out people don't care about me as much as I think they do. Or at least hope they do.

There have been so many times where I have wanted to write but haven't. Worried that my words don't hold any weight. Not even worried that it will fall on deaf ears, but worried that it won't fall on any ears at all. Worried that insecurities about being replaceable, forgettable, or easy to reject will come true.

I've been in a season of life recently where I'm learning a lot more about myself and my own confidence. For a long time, I've been ignorant to who God has uniquely crafted me to be. Have you ever taken a step back and thought about what an amazing creator God is? He has crafted this story that we all like to call the planet Earth. He has created billions of characters in this story, with each playing a unique role in furthering the narrative. Each character in the story God is telling on Earth matters. They have their own strengths, their own gifts, their own desires, that are unique to each individual, having been beautifully and masterfully created by a perfect, caring, loving God.

I matter. My thoughts matter. My desires matter. My passions matter. They matter to me and they matter to God.

So here I am, writing a blog post because it matters. Here I am, writing not to get more likes, not to receive cheap affirmation or quick satisfaction, but writing because I'm starting to really believe that the things I have to say matter.

Am I replaceable, forgettable, and easy to reject for some? Sure. We simply don't have the capacity to deeply care about every person on this Earth. I know I don't. But that doesn't change the fact that I am a uniquely, carefully, divinely shaped individual that has words and thoughts that matter to the story God is telling on this Earth.

God invites me to be Danny in His story, and I don't want to miss this opportunity.

"Sometimes the story we're telling the world isn't half as endearing as the one that lives inside us."
-Donald Miller