Blogolatry: The Idolatry of Blogging

I recently decided to start submitting some of my writings to a blog. Since there are many good reasons to write and blog, I went for it. After creating the blog I was amazed to see the depth of statistics provided for the blogger. 

There are many statistics made available to the blogger. I am able to see a graph of how many people have viewed my blog page. I can see page views today, page views yesterday, page views last month, and page views for the history of the blog. I am able to see how many hits each individual blog entry has accrued. I can see the source of where this traffic is coming from, and even the countries where people are viewing the blog. Not only that, but as of writing this blog right now, I know 51% of people viewing my blog used Firefox, 20% used Chrome, 14% used internet explorer, 14% used safari, and 1% used mobile safari. Along with the browser information I also know what operating systems the viewers use, 56% use Windows, 42% use Macintosh, 1% Android, and 1% use Linux.  

The first time I saw all this data I knew I needed to protect myself from a potential problem. What’s the big deal? Aren’t these statistics helpful in understanding your audience and what kind of impact you are having? Absolutely yes! But, in saying these statistics are helpful, they can also be harmful. There is a fine line to walk between wanting to make an impact for Christ by having people read what I have learned and idolizing how many views/comments the blog receives. 

If I feel a sense of pride or am satisfied in seeing how many people view my blog page rather than being fully satisfied in Christ, then I am idolizing my blog and the viewers of my blog. John 12:43 “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

My joy and hope needs to be based upon Christ and his work, not on anything else. Even if nobody ever reads this post or any other blog I write, it ultimately doesn't matter. Jesus matters.