Shop Closed (Temporarily): Why I'm Taking a Break

This is the one of the hardest posts I have written so far.

I started this site almost two years ago - March will be my two-year "blogiversary.” In no way that I could have ever predicted or guessed, writing has been the best creative outlet in my life over this time period. My thinking is more clear, marriages are getting helped, and I have been encouraged by the slow and steady growth of this site.

However, the last few weeks, I feel like I can’t keep up with everything in my life. Work is busy, our family schedule is more packed than ever and I’m neglecting my health. My weight is high, I need more sleep and exercise has been sporadic. As I look at all the "buckets" in my life, my blog seems like the most obvious one to close for a season. I can’t neglect my family or health and I don’t want to and can’t walk away from my job. 

In addition, I find myself way too obsessed with the blog at times. I worry too much about how much traffic I get and how many social media likes I receive. While my greatest hope has been to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus and with their significant other, I still find myself at times focusing on the wrong metrics.

My heart needs to be in a better place if I am going to keep writing/blogging. On a regular basis, I need to make sure I assess my motives for writing. I want to take some time to make sure my #1 desire is to help make Jesus known and help others grow spiritually, rather than making my name great.

The relentless pressure to produce posts and the perceived need to continually produce something profound stresses me out. To be clear, no one is putting this pressure on me. It’s all self-induced. The site will stay live, but I don't think I'll write anything new for at least the next three-four weeks.

I need a little break to just write - not for the sake of others or for blog traffic, but for the sake of helping me grow spiritually and as a writer, without the pressures of producing a product for my blog. I did just start working on a book proposal, so a blog break will allow me some more margin to work on the book. I look forward to taking on the challenge of writing a book. I never knew that finding pictures, crafting creative titles and making a blog post look good would take so much time. Sometimes I enjoy this process, but recently it’s more of a beating than a joy.

In no way do I see this as a long-term break/close (although I have been wrong in the past). I think (emphasis on the word think) that this is a brief hiatus so I can get my heart in a better place and so that I can better prioritize my life without thinking about social media, page views and the pressures of producing helpful content. I still have a file with over 150 different blog post ideas, so I sure hope this is not the end!

Thanks for your support, and I covet your prayers as I process next steps.