Why write? Does it matter?

I just want to make a difference. And so do you. In every walk of life, we want to know that our efforts aren’t in vain.

If a sculpture leaves his best work on a tree stump in the deep woods, will anyone see it?
If a writer leaves a piece of paper in a library will anybody read it?
If a painter paints his masterpieces, only to turn the canvas over to cover a drafty windy, what good is it?

Like other bloggers – and there are millions of us really – we churn out words. Me? I’ve got 600 posts with hundreds of thousands of words. There is a joy and agony in the faithful snipping of every phrase, every syllable, every comma.

But I have to ask. Is it worth it?

Writing is kind of like golf. I’ll hit 100 balls and maybe two will be really, really good. I’ll think about those two deep in the night and that’s what keeps me coming back to the greens.

Out of 100 works, one or if I’m really on, two will really impact me and maybe others. It’s what keeps me tapping in the early morning instead of sleeping my thoughts away.

I often wonder if I have lost my edge? Have the personal pains I’ve endured over the years made me stronger, or have they weakened me, chisling away at my soul. Sometimes, I don’t know.

So I try to capture spiritual beauty in the world around me and write about it, hoping to apply it to my own life and maybe you’ll get something out of it too. I share snippets of insight, not that they are superior, but writing them out helps. When I hurt, I share it and people unsubscribe. When I am joyous, people yawn.

Why fret if no one cares?

There are artists who never show a painting. There are preachers who pour their lives into the sermons to rooms full of people who just want to leave as soon as possible. The empty altar the only thing he sees. There are missionaries who preach to a whole generation and still nothing. There are moms who slave over their homes and at the end of the day all the get is grief.

So, do we give up?


On the rare occasion I look at traffic sources for this blog and it’s eye-opening. “Naked worker” leads more than a few readers to this blog. I have no idea why. And “Dog the Bounty Hunter” gets hits every day. And then there are people looking for David Rupert,  IRA terrorist and double-agent who land here, too.

Here’s a question that I should ask every day. Will I still write, even though no one reads? Is that Audience of One enough?

Whatever your passion is, what keeps you pressing on? You can share your thoughts here.