Three years feels like a short period of time, but I know that it’s long enough for God to grow me and mold me and make me better than I was before.

Most of you aren’t planning on starting a blog, so why am I sharing lessons learned from blogging? Well, what I’ve learned can be applied throughout life, not just blogging. Whether you work out of the home, or you are the primary caregiver to kiddos, take these lessons and apply them to your own circumstances.

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.

- Marian Wright Edelman

4 Powerful Lessons from Blogging:

It’s okay to take breaks; it’s not okay to quit.
I shared on last year’s post that breaks were okay. I still believe this to be true. But it is not okay to quit, especially if God has called us to do something. The problem with long breaks is we lose momentum, making it difficult to start back up.
This year, I realized 1) I needed to take more smaller breaks, and 2) I needed to plan for them. Planning for frequent smaller breaks helps combat burnout and ensures I keep publishing even when it isn’t fun. This goes for everything in life.

Stay focused on the goal.
You can get caught up on what society tells you should be the goal, or you can create your own measure of success. I constantly have to remind myself that the goal isn’t to have a million followers and money. My goal is to encourage and equip; what’s your goal?
If you’re a stay-at-home mom, maybe your goal is to ensure your kids get the best education or learn life skills that will help them in the future. If you are starting a business, maybe your goal is to break even the first year. If you are a writer, maybe your goal is to write a book. Whatever the goal, when you keep it in the forefront of your mind, you can keep comparison in its rightful place--out of your sight and mind.

Focus on what is in your control.
As I was looking at my metrics and analyzed the top viewed posts, I realized there was no way to predict which posts would be most popular. If you scroll to the bottom, you will see the most popular blog posts since the beginning of AFS, and I would have NEVER imagined 3 of those posts taking off the way they have.
If anything, this serves as a reminder that God is in control of it all. When I put in the work and then leave the rest to God, He will take care of it. Sometimes, we can get so focused on controlling everything we get in the way of our success. Instead, focus on doing what He has called you to do, and let Him handle the rest.

Are you faithful with little?
This lesson was one of my convictions this past year. When I lost sight of my focus and started looking for ways to build the blog and social media, I realized I had lost sight of what God called me to do.
How could I expect God to grow AFS when I hadn’t been faithful with what he had already provided me? Instead of focusing on what I didn’t have, I started to focus on how to best serve what was right in front of me.
So if you are looking for something more, something bigger, ask yourself, have you been faithful with what you currently have?

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” - Luke 16:10

Top 5 posts for the last three years

5. 5 Must-Read Tips for When you Feel Unsupported by your Husband

Feeling supported in a marriage is crucial, yet clearly, so many of us have felt the loneliness of being unsupported. This post challenges our thought process on what support looks like and encourages you to work even when you don’t want to. You can also download 10 Conversation starters to help you communicate with your spouse about the topic of support.

4. Blessings in the Midst of Trials

I used to believe that putting faith in God meant nothing wrong would ever happen to me. If I believed enough, then God would protect me from the pain and suffering of this world.

But when I learned what it meant to put true and complete faith in God, I discovered that pain and suffering were inevitable. This post discusses the definition of blessings, examples of suffering as blessings, and how to count your blessings. This post was updated this month!

3. Which Version of the Bible Should I Read?

It wasn’t that long ago that I had no idea what I was doing with reading and studying the Bible. I remember the feelings of being overwhelmed. This is why I researched and wrote a post on picking the “right” version of the Bible. Spoiler alert - there isn’t one right one. There are many great options and a couple of not-so-great options. The goal was simply to help you find one you’d read.

2. 3 Simple Bible Reading Plans For The Beginner

Have you ever grabbed your Bible and had no idea where to start? Or maybe you flipped to a page and started reading but learned nothing from your reading? Well, me too! This is why I created this post and plan to update it frequently.

A Bible reading plan helps you stay committed by removing decision fatigue and assigning a particular reading every day. Included in this post (and the resource library) are a few different Bible reading plans to meet your need hopefully.

1. How One Question Got Me To Go To Church: Tips for Inviting Your Friends

For many people in the Christian community, the church has always been a part of routine, day-to-day life, but it hasn't always been the case for a few of us. If the church has been a part of your Sunday routine for as long as you can remember, then it's likely you've forgotten how scary it can be walking into a foreign building and risk being seen by people—genuinely seen.

I was once that young adult, trying to find a home church, yet afraid to be seen amongst a group of strangers. But a friend was brave enough to ask me one question, and it transformed my life. Now it’s our turn to ask that same question.