When I started my first corporate job I was so completely nervous and felt somewhat out of my league given I have never finished college. There was another girl that started the same day as me and she was as bubbly as can be with a warm smile on her face. To this day I remember her flowery button up collared shirt and the deep blue sweater she wore as well as her short spunky hairdo and dash of red lipstick. We became fast friends and good thing since we would be in the same department for the next few years we worked together. I will never forget the second day of work I showed up and there was a package of M&M’s on my chair at my cube. I wondered where the candy fairy had come from since I barely knew anyone and it was only my second day. Then come to find out my new found friend Kerri with the spunky hairdo and bright red lipstick had gotten me the candy because well she is just that kind of person. The kind of person who cares about others but better yet wants to make a difference in their lives with her gift of compassion and giving. In the whole scheme of things it was a small gesture that made a huge impact on my life and to this day she is one of my very best friends.
When I think of her subtle gesture I realize the importance of investment. As I write in this blog it’s very easy to get caught up in the friend list, the growing numbers, the lack of growing numbers, and the pressure to please people I don’t even know. The whole reason I started blogging was for one purpose…to make an impact. Then as time has gone by an ulcer has started forming within me as I wonder if my blog really makes a difference. There are blog hops, link-ups, and all sorts of avenues used to connect with people which I love (see my sidebar) but then I start to wonder if I’m really connecting with people or if these hops are just to have “friends” but no friendships. Even I can admit that I have started following blogs only for them to fall off my radar as the hype to gain new followers intensified. I don’t want to do that, I want to make investments in the people that take time out of their days to read my post, to become my follower friend. I want to develop authentic relationships with people across the borders and in states I’ve never visited. The mission behind my blog has to be tweaked to not just make an impact but to invest.
As followers grow and new link-ups come around the corner I know that keeping up with everyone’s blog is nearly impossible yet my mission doesn’t have to change. I can keep investing in people, I can keep encouraging people, I can strive to keep my voice authentic and for me that is writing for an audience of one, which for me is the Lord. I don’t want to just follow to follow but instead to relate, to love, to encourage the people I meet. I need to remember the impact my friend Kerri made in my life several years ago simply by making a small investment in my life in giving from her heart without expectation. Without expectation that we would be friends, without expectations that I would tell someone about her graciousness.
It’s time to forget the numbers and lay down my expectations.
It’s time to impact and invest in the lives of others.
Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart. Proverbs 27: 9
