How important is your blog to you? If like me, you see it as a chance of outreach and of some kind of minstry, then it will figure on your list as something you are blessed by.  Over time, i have built up a steady readership, and to me, regular readers are far more important than regular comments. Some sites I know that have far more regular comments than myself have no more readers, sometimes less, and readership to me is by far of the most import. Many people make a choice to read blogs and not comment. I know several people personally who do that. Though comments are always welcome and appreciated of course.   I will recieve the odd email now and then,  from someone I do not know, asking if I will link to their sites, and that is where my “reciprocal” blog roll list comes from. When I go to their site, they are already linked to mine. I also recieve emails now, on a weekly basis almost, from complete strangers, yet brethren who say they have found this site a  big encouragment and strong witness to God given all I am suffering, and thanking me for it. I always find those very heart-warming, and also very humbling.

You may notice my reciprocal list has changed. I somewhat and against my better judgement got enrolled in some kind of “blogging network” and it was the most negative expereince of my whole blogging experience thus far. Blogs I do not have anything in common with or relate to in the least, I find burdensom and even boring to read. They maybe to your taste, but they do not have to be to mine.  And to reguarly read those types that I Have little to no interest, that doesn’t speak the common people or masses language, it may as well be  Greek to them, I do not have the time, energy, patience, or ability to do that with any frequency.  But when I make a comment on anyones blog, I do not expect to be put on a blog update list. So that each time someones blog is updated or even there comments, I get an email informing me so. Blogging is a choice, I do not  like the feeling of obligation, or pressure that  kind of thing, plus the obvioius hints from people who do that, that they expect you to comment on their blogs. I am sick unto death, and as I  lay here last night, popping morphine, for merely asking nicely to be taken off this list of  a blogging network I was on, the guy turned nasty and a bully,  and showed a complete otehr side to himself than he normally lets slip. When a guy in his blessed (by comparison) place, takes to attacking a woman alone, popping morphine at the time,  over such a small matter, then  that is bullying, period.  I had no intent at that point of not commenting on his blog, just being removed from the email updates.  But soon changed my mind after this. And as  a friend said, when I was relating, his actions were “immature” and “self serving.”

Commenting on each others blog is a choice we make to do. Choice meaning it is of our free will and not because it is expected or we are obligated to.  I will add links, whether they comment on my own site or not. But I will not add links, and be  “nice” to folks, merely because I want to keep them sweet so that they will continue to comment on my blog, which is insincere, wearing a mask of friendship when its all about their comments, and a lot of other stuff. I would rather have fewer comments and know the people are commenting because they want to, and not because they feel the pressure that I did, or was  somehow secretly defined that it was expected, and a criteria for them to continue to favour your blog.  People commenting because they feel pressured or obliged, is not something I want to take up on this blog. It’s against every principle as far as dealing honsestly with people that I can thikn of.  People commenting out of choice and because they want to, without any pressure or intrusion from me, is an entirely different thing and how blogging is supposed to work.

But as I lay here last night, popping morphine, as this guy attacked me over such a small and minor thing,  I couldn’t help but think that some people need to change their priorities in life and focus on what is important in the life of faith. How we treat our brothers and sisters being of far more import than how many comments we get from them.  There blog may be the centre of their world, but it is not the centre of mine, nor should it be. If I comment on your blog, you can gurantee it is bcaus I wanted to, and was my own choice,  without feeling pressure or obligated to, and because I genuinly had something I wanted to say.

I think Stan of Birds of the  air was one of the first Calvinist blogs to link to me, unknown to me for a long time.  But that’s it, it was unknown and without any pressure.  I doubt any of my readers need an email every time my blogging comments are updated if they have taken part in the comment discussion, and I doubt it would not at least cause some minor irritation to get such. You may not say anything, you may decide to just filter my emails out,  yet if you’ve got any sense, if someone does tell you, you will not attack them for it, but you will realize that mostly this kind of someone elses blogging priority frequently in your mailbox, is not your priority and  when you want to visit you will do of your own free choice and not becuae you have had several emails in one week, two some days,  to remind you or update you.

But the way the guy turned nasty, and becmae a bully, over such a small matter, as I lay here taking narcotics to relieve my pain told me a lot.  And was just more evidence that often folks are nice to our faces while having no regard for us in their hearts, merely to serve their own ends and selfish purposes, and you do not matter in the equation at all, as long as you are serving their purpose.  So my advice is, exchange links with blogs you have commonality with, if asked to. But steer away from such networks, where theere are unwritten expectations and pressure without need to comment on something you have littel interest in yourself because it is such a differerent sphere to your own Christian interests.

On a bad day, it is all I can do to get through the day intact spiritually in this amount of illness and affliction, and also try and post something on this site, to encourage or edify my brethren. I do not even type without additoinal pain.  And feeling the pressure to comment on something  repeatedly during weeks I am having a hard time,  and are only  just surviving, is something I do not need, and will not countenance, and will be sure to know what I am getting into, before taking up any more similar  enterprises.

Blogging has its purposes for all of us. It should not be the bee all and end all of our existence. And to attack someone this sick merelty for a request to be removed from the email list, makes me think they should be spending less time blogging and worrying about it, and more time growing into maturity as Christians and knowing how to treat the brethren well,  as defined by the Golden rule and sum of the Law, and not  like some heavy mob bully boy, of dance to my tune or else, and no matter abuot you. It’s not right, it’s not Godly, and it ain’t  something I will get involved with in future in that particualr way of “networking”  because it was totally counter productive to do so.