The Underdog’s Song
Written by abbynormally
May 10th, 2010
Today I received my first negative comment. Thanks to WordPress, I have the ability to approve, Spam or Trash all comments before they are published, so this little gem passed before my eyes only. Of course I ran into the open arms of all my Twitter friends and received the support which the comment tried to remove from me.
Thanks to my site tracker and the sleuthing abilities of my husband, I figured out the culprit. I won’t approach this person, but for whatever reason it didn’t sting so badly when there was a face to the fake name and email address. I was able to process it, and move past it almost immediately. Yet I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disturbed because my commenter has personal connections to not only me, but the Christian College for which I work. It almost made me nauseous to think that someone in that loving community would make such harsh accusations.
Regardless, it still made me think about the purpose of this blog and why I spend so much time planning, typing, and perfecting posts about seemingly superficial issues. As per the accusation, I am self absorbed and the time spent on the computer is time that could be better used in service to God. Ouch.
I don’t want to say that I’m above the sin of pride. No one is. In fact, C.S. Lewis calls it “the great sin”. It’s at the root of every other sin in our lives. And since I am a sinner, I can’t claim any immunity to pride. Maybe it is the title of my blog, “Abby Normally”. Or the simple fact that it’s a blog about me and my life and my experiences and contains pictures of me.
Is that “self-promotion”. Well, in a sense it is, but the larger, more important question is, “is that sinful?”
No. I think it’s a common misconception among Christians, especially Christians with talents in the arts, that every work, every word, every chord has to loudly and boldly declare their belief in Christ. Should Christian bloggers only blog about their devotions and the daily lessons that God is teaching them? It’s not wrong to do that, but I don’t think it’s necessary to do it. Christianity is a part of who I am. In fact it’s the deepest part of who I am. And because my faith is the warp and woof of Abby, it touches, influences and colors every other part of me. Those parts? My running, my eating habits, my love of laughter and adventure, and most importantly my perspective on the successes and setbacks that I face as a human being.
And as a human being, I have hobbies. Running is probably the one to which I devote the most time and energy, but writing has been my companion for more years than I know, and through this blog I have found a way to combine those passions. God is the author of each and every one of our passions, and to use them and pursue them is pleasing to Him as long as they don’t ever come before Him in our hearts. Some people play video games, some people play the piano, some people play basketball, some people read, some people blog. Do Christian gamers have to play Christian video games? Do Christian pianists only play Christian pieces? Do Christian basketball players only play in church leagues? Do Christian readers only read Christian books? No! So should Christian bloggers only write “Christian” blogs? Of course not.
Some Christians make the distinction between “sacred” and “secular” jobs. I think that this distinction is moot when it comes to Christians. Are only pastors and missionaries serving God? And because I work for a Christian college, I am serving God, yet my husband, who is a civil engineer, is not? In 1 Peter 4:10, Peter writes that everyone has received a gift, and each of those gifts can be used to God’s glory. And 1 Corinthians 10:31 he states, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Also see Colossians 3:17 & 23 and Ephesians 4.
At times I feel like I’m just sending my words off into the esoteric world of the binary, but then I receive emails, messages, and comments from people telling me that I’ve helped them and that they enjoy my blog. If people on the internet are seeking help, does that not make it a mission field? Yet I am no expert in the healthy living world. I am not an accomplished athlete. I am not an extraordinary wordsmith. Those words from my readers remind me that it is God who is using me to reach out. That power and that ability does not lie within me. It is humbling and it is mysterious, and that is because it is God.
One of my favorite passages is 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
I love this passage because it reminds me of Every Man. It reminds us of the young David defeating Goliath with a mere stone. Or that girl who breaks her foot only to train for a marathon. But is the story of David and Goliath or Abby Normally the story of an underdog overcoming all odds? No. If that was so, Abby would have finished her marathon, or at least not have blogged about her failure. Failure is part of humanity. It’s a byproduct of the fall, and it’s a sin we can’t shake. This blog chronicles those failures. This blog, this apparent “self-promotion”, is the story of a human with no talent, no hope, no victory save for the love and grace of her Lord Jesus Christ. If I ever boast, let me only boast in the Lord.
Failure is what I am. Victory is Christ’s.
[...] The Underdog’s Song [...]
<3 you!
guess what.
im crying.
CRYING.
at my desk.
at quarter to eight in the morning.
when i first started reading this post, in the third paragraph, as you said “ouch” i said to myself, ‘this blog is a ministry field for her.” I am so glad that you came to that realization on your own because I was about to go all “youth pastor” on you. ha.
You have such amazing self-awareness, and i know, no doubt in my mind, that it comes directly from having Christ-Awareness.
I am proud to know you, my humble, beautiful friend.
and i am praying blessings over that person who left you a mean comment.
let the heart of Christ pour out onto him today.
Not so that he “feels bad”, not so that he “apologizes”, not so that he even “knows his harshness” – but more so that he KNOWS MORE DEEPLY the Heart of Christ.
Because I am certain, that the Jesus I love and worship, is honored on this blog, day in and day out. I am certain that Jesus would never leave such a comment on your blog. And I determined to be more like Christ.
This was a beautifully written post!
There were many things that attracted me to your blog and one of the main ones was that you spoke openly about your Christianity but you didn’t preach about it. I’m a Christian but that doesn’t mean I only want to read Christian blogs but it’s nice to know you are there living a “normal” life that envoles many other things.
Clearly those are the words of a disciple of God. How moving! Love to you Abby!
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and have NEVER felt that you were self-absorbed, or “self-promoting”. In any way, shape, or form. I feel that if a Christian blogger were to ONLY write about verses, life lessons while reading the bible, etc. You wouldn’t be able to reach as many people as you do. People that are not Christians have the misconception that every Christian wants to shove Christ down their throats. You are showing that while Christ is a huge part of your life, you have more to you than that and that while Christ affects those parts, you are capable of talking about other things. God wants us to enjoy and talk about ALL aspects of our lives, that’s why he gives us certain strengths and talents. A favorite quote of mine…
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other peo…ple won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marianne Williamson
keep on writing girl! and God Bless you!
I’m glad you worked through the thoughts in your head and got them out on the blog. I’m sure that definitely helped, although you owe an explanation for your lifestyle to no one! You know what you’re doing and you’re doing it amazingly well. You are unique, expressive, talented, gorgeous, thoughtful, considerate, the list goes on. That ALL comes through from your blog…and we haven’t even met! For someone to accuse you of acting in any sort of negative way, is really upsetting. Shame shame shame on this person. I really just feel bad for them. Keep on being YOU!
[...] Another Abby’s post about Christianity and blogging [...]
I got redirected to this post from another blog, but WOW! You said it extremely well. I blog about my faith openly as well, but it is not all I blog about. I hope it shows up in everything I do, but doesn’t need to be overtly discussed in every single thing. I think you are setting a great example. Thank you for writing this! We can each share the love of Jesus through our passions. In fact, I believe that is how God means to use us.
preach it girl!
i am SO glad you posted this. people used to ask me all the time in high school if it was religious to do something else other than pray all day. god empowers us to GO OUT and DO THINGS!
-r
Abby, continue doing what you love! It is always refreshing to break away for a moment in my busy day and read your blogs. I imagine some people might be intimidated by your insightful and articulate views about life lessons. God blessed you with a gift that you call a hobby so that you may share it with others. This website is reached by many people who enjoy reading what you have to say! I am saying thank you and continue writing!
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Rosann! I miss you SO MUCH! We need to get together soon!