How I cringe when I read my first posts! The bulk of what I wrote consisted of song lyrics and sermon notes from my Reformed, complementarian church's college group. I used to sign off with the Bible verse I had read in my daily devotion, too.
Facebook and Twitter didn't exist yet, and it was rare to even find other women online who also had blogs about faith and politics. How things have changed...
The enthusiasm and naivete are pretty entertaining, and I'm sure I'll look back at the "2011 me" with amusement as well!
I haven't deleted my old posts, though. It's actually fun to read through and detect the changes in my beliefs. It's easy to see I was slowly learning a more generous worldview through anthropology. I'm glad I have a record of that, even if it's public. I also cherish the fact that my dad commented on several of my posts.
A few months ago, Kristen mused about blogging over a long period of time, and says it much better than I could ever convey:
You can say that blogging is narcisistic. You can say that it is solipsistic. You can say that bloggers often hide behind a fake persona, or project idealized versions of themselves to the world. Yes, yes, yes, I say. I would have to regretfully agree with you on all these points.
But when you say that blogging is a futile waste of time, then you've gone too far.
I have been blogging now for around seven years. My early posts embarrass me, but I leave them up as a reminder of all the ways I have changed. I hope I've become a little less enthusiastic, a little less gauche. And over the last three or four years, I have often played with the idea of shutting it down. We have twitter. We have facebook. What's the point in a blog?
The point is the friends that I have made.
I've broken all "the rules" about good blogging. My posts are way too long. I don't post on a regular schedule, have "giveaways," or offer those bolded comment prompts at the end of every post.
But personally, it's been a great outlet to share what I've learned in classes, help improve my writing, and crystallize my thoughts. And I'm thankful for the blog-friends I've made. I really appreciate that you read and put up with my rants and raves. I also treasure the emails and in-person conversations that have resulted. Thank you for reading and interacting.
Here's to another eight years!
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