Hello my friends! Today marks the one year anniversary of the no small servant blog. One year ago today I wrote my first official piece and shared it with the world for the first time. I will always remember the date because it was a day where I took a huge step of faith, and also it is my Dad’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!). I wanted this post to be a time where I share with you how I got my start, and all that this blog has done for me.
It all started December 2020, when my home church was sending out daily devotional emails for Advent. I read one written by our Lead Pastor’s wife, and it struck me so powerfully. I loved what she wrote, and I thought to myself, “I want to write something like that, I think I can do it”.
I sat down at my computer that day and just poured my heart out on a piece of paper (I guess technically it was a Word document, but you get the picture). I just sat there and wrote and wrote, not even thinking about what I was typing. I just felt the words flow out of me without hardly any thought. When I finished, I read back over what I had written, and felt so powerfully moved by the Holy Spirit. I was like, “Wow, I actually wrote all that. Thank you, Lord, for the inspiration”. I actually saved this work and held on to it, and used it for one of my blog posts (it is the one titled “Fear”, which you can read here: https://nosmallservant.wixsite.com/website/post/_fear). I honestly don’t remember if I was struggling with any specific fears when I wrote that piece, but I know we all struggle with different fears at different times in our lives.
Over those next coming months, I had thought really hard about what to do about my desire to write about Christ and all the different things he lays on my heart or teaches my at different times. I prayed and prayed about it, and one day it came to me…start a blog! At first, I really wanted it to be anonymous, because I was afraid to attach my name to anything like this out of fear of judgement or ridicule, and also I didn’t really want to take full credit for anything I was saying, because I truly believe everything I write is prompted by the Lord. He gives me the words to speak, they are not my own. However, when that first post came out, I realized (thanks to my fiancé at the time, now my husband), that since I had attached my name to the website, that the post also had my name attached to it. Also, he shared on social media that it was me because he was so proud of me (thanks sweetie). And that’s when it all began.
It took all the courage I had to send out that post that first day. I was so afraid of what other people would think. That they wouldn’t like my writing, or it wouldn’t sound good or make any sense. But, the Lord reminded me oh so powerfully that it was not about me, but it was all about him. And that was what I decided to write my first blog post about (read it here: https://nosmallservant.wixsite.com/website/post/who-is-at-the-center-of-your-universe). I reference the exact same story in that blog post. It has been quite a journey since that day, and I am so thankful for it.
After my first post received so much love, I was encouraged to keep going (also I was motivated by my desire to serve the Lord through this blog). I always allowed my posts to be inspired by something I was struggling with, or something significant that I felt the Lord had shared with me that he wanted me to share with others through my words. If I didn’t feel inspired, I didn’t want to force myself to write or post, because I knew it wouldn’t be genuine, and it would defeat the purpose of why I stared it in the first place. I didn’t want to force myself into, because then it becomes a chore rather than something that brings me great joy. And I know you would be able to see it in my words if I chose to handle it that way.
Then there comes my hiatus from posting. You can see from the timeline that there is a gap between my July 28th, 2021 post, and my January 2, 2022 blog. If you have been following my posts from early this year, you know that I really struggled with the job I was at. I started that job at the beginning of August, which accounts for the beginning of that hiatus. I was going through so much emotionally and spiritually, and I also just did not feel like I had the time to sit down and write. I also just wasn’t feeling inspired at all. It took everything I had just to go to work everyday. I was also really struggling with anxiety and what I would consider a very mild form of depression (I would never use that word lightly, I take depression very seriously). It was just the hardest thing I had to walk through in a long time, and I hadn’t even thought about trying to use my blog as an outlet.
After that January update, it still took me a little while to become consistent with posting again. I was laid off from the aforementioned job at the beginning of March, and that was when I really got up and running again. Even with the new job I now have, I have been able to commit myself to blogging again, and it still makes me so happy to share my heart and what the Lord is sharing with me with all of you.
I could not be more thankful to all of the people who have supported and encouraged me along on this journey. It means so incredibly much to me that I could never fully express it. Like I said, it was a huge step of faith, and when we put ourselves out there for the Lord, he brings us joy and peace because of our obedience. That doesn’t mean that putting ourselves out there won’t be hard or painful, but nothing we ever do for the Lord is in vain or worthless (1 Corinthians 15:58). I hope that into this next year you will continue to following along with me as I continue to share the goodness of our God. This life can be hard, but I hope that when you come to this blog you can always find love and encouragement, because God loves you so much, and so do I.
One last thing I want to mention is how I came up with the name for this blog. When I had decided that I was going to move forward with the blog, I obviously needed to decide on a name. When praying about what to call it, I felt the inspiration of the Lord hit me. The name “no small servant” comes from the phrase you have probably heard in reference to acting: “There are no small parts, only small actors”. In the kingdom of God, there are no small servants, everyone can have an impact on the kingdom of God. Whether you have given up your whole life to go out in the mission field, or you try to be a godly example to those at your office, or to be the best example of a Christ-like mom, you are making an impact on the kingdom of God. God does not see obedience as only the really big acts of faith, but also the small things we do everyday to show our love and devotion to him. That is what is truly important, and that is the foundation of my blog.
Thank you again for coming on this journey with me, and I am so exited for what this next year holds.
Love,
Chelsea
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