Why Do I Blog? (3)

To Practice Writing
I am incalculably indebted to good writers. So much of my spiritual growth and theological development is the fruit of books written by those who have devoted their lives to rightly dividing, accurately explaining, and carefully applying the truth of God’s Word. Their meditations have become the food that has fed my soul time and again. And although I have never met the authors that have had the most influence on me, I look forward to the day (probably in the kingdom) when I can express my heart-felt gratitude for their labors. Their diligence in study, in refining their ideas, and in honing their writing abilities has provided me with an almost endless stream of spiritual nourishment. Jesus, who sees infinitely better than I do, will someday reward these faithful men according to their work and the fruit it has produced in the lives of his saints. Those of us who have been blessed by what they have written look forward to rejoicing on the day they hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Why go on about good writers? Because I have personally come to know how much well-thought, clearly expressed, biblically faithful writing has helped me. I also know how poorly constructed, unreflective, bland, theologically deficient writing has not only been burdensome to read, but spiritually numbing as well. First hand interaction with both good writing and poor writing compels me to be one who, at some level, produces the former. Granted, I clearly have a long way to go, but using this blog as a means of improving my writing for the benefit of others seems to be a good use of time and available resources.

It is important to remember, however, that much writing will not automatically make us better writers; we need to put sincere effort into developing our gifts. In fact, I think experience would confirm that persistent writing, if not engaged thoughtfully and with the desire to improve, may actually serve to strengthen bad habits. Think I’m off my rocker? Just start paying attention to the emails and blogs written by teen age students whose writing has been forged more by the language debilitating medium of text messaging than by their English classes. Or consider memos sent by co-workers that reveal how much their writing has been stunted by all the emails they send—quick messages hammered out and shot off without any thought of grammer, word choice, sentence structure, or punctuation. Practice, in and of itself, does not make perfect.

On the other hand, if I can discipline myself to write on a regular basis, to hear and heed the comments and criticisms of others, and to take time to continually learn more about the craft of writing itself, I trust the Lord will use these pursuits to bless others for the sake of his kingdom. Yes, it may be only for a handful of people, but the number of readers should not determine the excellence of one’s writing; knowing there is great power in the written word should give pause to those who pick up the pen (or tap the keyboard), and motivate all of us to become better writers. Writing consistently on a blog is a great way we can grow in our ability to communicate in writing—not for the sake of boasting, but for the good of others.