The Old Cliche.

You have heard the old cliche, "Less is more".  I've been thinking about that a lot, and I'm not so sure that what they say is true.  Sure, it applies to some situations, but more often than not, it doesn't.

Last Thursday through Saturday I attended The Relevant Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  It was wonderful!  I can't tell you how glad I am that I went, though I have to confess that I wasn't prepared for what I was about to receive from it.  I went with hopes of finding ways to figure out where I am going with The Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts.  What is my "niche"?  How do I grow my blog?  I went with a list of things that I thought I needed from the conference, instead I got what God knew I needed.  I was convicted.  Oh, was I convicted.  I was moved.  I was encouraged.  I was set free.  I was changed.

You see, the old cliche, "less is more" is a tricky one.  When it came to my blog I thought that "more was more".  More blog posts would mean more followers, more comments, more page views, and more opportunities.  While this is often true, I failed to think about the instances when "more is less".  More blogging means less attention to my family and home.  

I was convicted.  When I thought of the all of time I have been spending blogging, responding to comments, checking my email, checking my stats (obsessing over my stats, really), tweeting,  and reading other blogs, I was sickened.  I have pushed my boys off of my lap at times and gotten irritated when they needed my attention, all because I was trying to write a post.  I have let my husband to go to bed alone, late at night, because I have gotten caught up responding to comments and clicking through my Google reader.  

"Is this what I have called you too?", I heard God ask.  

With tears in my eyes I asked Him for forgiveness.  When it comes to my walk with God, my husband, and my children, less is most definitely not more.  More can only be more.  So what does that mean for me?  How could I come home from a weekend like I just had, where I clearly heard God speak to me about the way I am spending my time, and not make changes?  The answer is that I must make changes.  

God first.

My husband second.

My children.

Then the rest, including The Southern Institute.

I want The Southern Institute to be a place where women can visit and leave encouraged, not defeated.  I want it to be a place that lets them know that they are not alone in the struggle to put first things first, because the Lord knows I struggle.  There have been plenty of days in which I have found time to write a blog post but not to read my Bible, time to check on how many people have visited the blog but not time to sit and play on the floor with my children.  I also want to share more of what God is teaching me through my family... the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Hopefully less of the ugly.  This may mean that I post two or three days a week instead of five or six.  No more blogging until I have had time in the Word.  No more computer during breakfast or lunch.  No more blogging when my children are awake and needing my attention.  I know that these changes will make me a better wife and mother, and in turn make this a better blog.   

I love the Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts and I love you who read along, but I love my family more, and I truly believe that for me, when it comes to blogging, the old cliche is true... "Less is more."