My Bloggin' Friends

As I was laying in bed last night, God told me to pray for my bloggin' friends. These are people who I either met through my blog, or people I already knew but whose blogs I read on a regular basis to keep in touch with them. They all have different needs. One is experiencing fertility problems. One lost a child a while back, went on to have another little girl, but is experiencing fear that something could happen to her or the rest of her family (after all, she knows that harsh reality). And one is approaching the first anniversary of the death of her daughter. I link to all of their blogs, and they have recently shared their struggles and fears in their posts.

We all share something in common - pain and suffering in one way or another. And beyond that, a belief in God and his perfect ways (even when we don't understand them).

After I prayed for these ladies, I realized that I wouldn't know about these struggles if it weren't for this world of blogging.

What started as a way to keep viewers updated while I was on maternity leave with Lily (I was an anchor at WHNT when I started this blog) has turned into such a powerful tool.

Not because of me. Believe me, I am woefully inadequate and ill-equipped. I fail so many times a day I lose count. But, God decided a while ago that he was going to use this blog as a way to reach others who are hurting. He let me know that and I'm honored that he's taking me along for the ride.

Not that I want to be the poster child for pain and suffering. But, I also know that God allowed me to go through that experience of losing a child so I could help others. And he made it very clear to me about a year ago - through blog comments from other ladies or people stopping me to say they read my blog - that there was a good portion of women who read this blog who were also experiencing some type of grief or pain. Not all have lost a child - some are hurting in different ways or have fear in their lives they are dealing with. And he also made it clear that part of my ministry was this blog. Who would have thought it? So many people think God is some old-fogey who is out of touch with today's world. But the God who created the internet (not Al Gore, mind you - but God) uses blogs and such as a way for believers to reach out to each other. How cool is that?!

Ever since Melissa died, my favorite verse has become:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

That's what he expects of those of us who have gone through struggles. If you've ever asked God "why" when you were going through something tough, your answer lies in that verse. He's leading you down this path so you can help someone else one day. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

So, I write this post to thank all of you who read my blog. I'm very humbled by it. And I thank those of you who pray for me, too. I try to be very honest about the struggles I face and I thank you for being a listening ear. I told my best friend, Olivia, that writing some of my posts about Melissa is true therapy for me. It allows me to honestly share my heart and work through my grief. Thank you for letting me do that.

And to those of you facing tough times, hang in there. And let me know how I can pray for you. We bloggin' friends have to stick together! :)