I don’t know if you saw this post recently, but I’m in a group where it was discussed. I had a comment which, not surprisingly, got long!
I changed it enough that I’m just going to make it my blog post! The recommendations for steps for mature women to take will be in a follow-up post that is already written.
I saw this article a few days ago asking about mature women bloggers too and wanted to answer, “Actually, we’re here. I’ve noticed our ranks growing in the time I have been on the internet. No, we aren’t all on theological writers. But we are here.”
It all depends what you are looking for
I guess it depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for a polished writer, you won’t want my blog. I’m not polished. I’m a better writer than when I started, but I’ll never be as good a writer as some out there. I didn’t write much before 2007 when I saw the need for older women on the blogosphere. Until that time, I never read a blog!
Honestly, I was too busy raising children, working in my local church (where my husband was pastor), reading, working as a nurse while we put our 3 daughters through college and yada, yada, yada!
By the time I read my first blog, our children were grown, he had retired once, was an interim pastor in IL and I was just getting over a 4 year stint of illness.
During the years of our marriage, we served in churches in the U.S. and 7 years in Jamaica where he taught in a Bible college that trained students from all over the Caribbean.
We have also been through plenty of education in the School of Hard Knocks and found GOD to be as faithful as He promises. I have a soul that is loaded with question marks and I ask them to the nearest person who will listen. It’s how I learned to respect my husband who never found any question too trivial.
I often lose respect for people who think some questions are beneath them. What? They are able to read minds and motivations? I don’t think so!
I am just someone who processes verbally and until the question comes out and I have the opportunity to have some back and forth, I’m often not sure where it is coming from myself!
But back to the point of this piece!
But back to 2007 and how I got into blogging. As I started reading blogs, I was struck by the advice being given by so many of these mommy bloggers that was not always wise. I realized they needed the voice of someone who had lived through the full cycle of raising a child or three or had been in a marriage more than 10 or 15 years.
Order is a great idea. But there are days when it just won’t happen! Or our goals and dreams for life don’t always work out the way we planned and no amount of determination on our part will fix it! There are seasons in our lives when no amount of determination will solve the problems we face. We just have to endure, hang onto Jesus and keep moving. It isn’t always a cheerful message.
Our ability to be honest and open with younger women and tell them we too have struggled with doubt, pain, grief, depression, and the desire to walk away (if it is true) can be hopeful when they see that we have endured and stuck with our family, our spouse, our hard thing…because of Christ’s holding us there!
Our ability to be honest and open with younger women and tell them we too have struggled...when they see we have endured. Share on XI had no idea what I was doing! I did know how to encourage Biblically
So this girl (and no matter our age, that is what we all feel like inside!) gradually learned how to blog. I am no computer whiz! I learned what I needed to on the computer for work but little of it translated to writing a blog. Step by tiny step, I learned what I needed to in order to write a blog.
At the time, I didn’t know what twitter was, or Facebook. Many of the other social media didn’t even exist! I had a cell phone, but nothing fancy. It was not an iPhone.
Eventually, I went to a blogging conference. That’s where I learned that this # was called a hashtag! I learned a few other things too. I also learned about many resources available…some for free!
I am not the family theologian, but he has taught me where to go to learn more as well as discussed much theology with me
I am not the family theologian. I discuss with him how theology applies to many life issues but I will never be writing any straight theological posts! It is so NOT my gift! I understand many theological issues and how they apply to life. But he is the one who can explain them in understandable ways, not me.
I have learned, for example, what it means to move into GOD’s sovereignty during times of loss and suffering, realizing that GOD is so much larger than I am and He has plans for my life and the coming generations that will make sense of this time in my life…but it may take too long for me to even see it.
I have learned what it means to move into GOD's sovereignty during times of loss and suffering, realizing that GOD is so much larger than I am... Share on XIf you are looking for a writer who writes theology, it isn’t me. But I do write about how the grace of GOD affects everyday life…particularly in terms of aging, relationships, church, change and mentoring. I tend to base what I write on reformed theology but I’m not a theological writer. I understand a good bit about practical theology.
Surprisingly to me, I have lived nearly 70 years
I am an older woman looking at life from the perspective of someone who has lived almost 70 years in a variety of places. I have served in the Church and seen the backsides of people both figuratively and literally. I did say I’m a nurse, didn’t I? I have seen the grace of GOD at work both in my life and the lives of others. It is beyond amazing!
I love the church. Despite her many flaws, it is an amazing resource for us, of the grace of GOD for stunning growth…if we submit to it. I’m speaking of both growth in depth and height. It is a place of community, worship, hope and encouragement as well as outreach!
It’s also a great place for you to find godly older women in person. As a young writer, you need these women as a resource so you don’t get off on crazy tangents or get off-balance. These women are imperative! They will keep you steady and help develop wisdom.
There. I’ve said my piece for now. I’m one of the mature women bloggers out there…at GrittyGrace.com. I don’t write in soundbytes. I’m not the most technically savvy. It’s not always the prettiest place to be. But i’m here.
Bring your cup of coffee, Chai latte, my personal favorite, or whatever and come join me!
See Part II
So glad you are here! We need amazing women like you who have been there to pave the way. Thank you for sharing your story. Visiting from Testimony Tuesday.
thanks christina:) i really feel quite ordinary, but thanks for your kind words.
“I have learned, for example, what it means to move into GOD’s sovereignty during times of loss and suffering, . . . ” That says so much. I like that way of expressing that painful maturing process of choosing to trust in the dark times. It makes me see His loving hand outstretched, inviting us to trust Him fully.
On a less substantive side, you seem to be an amazingly youthful 70! I can still hear your easy, ready laugh, 40 plus years away. Of course that is an impossibility since I am only 35 🙂
right kay:) considering i think of you as 16, we can settle for 35:) the thing that has kept me young has been having so many younger women friends:) i have had some older women friends over the years of course, but i have had way more younger women friends. i guess i’m just immature. i think it may be that i move to a new area and haven’t known the older women and my kids haven’t grown up with their kids. their friendships are more established and often it is harder to break into their worlds. of course there were exceptions, but often the younger women were easier to break into.
I really appreciate your blog, as well as others by more mature women. There’s so much wisdom gained through different life experiences and I’m grateful that you share that. It’s good to get a different perspective on things too.
thanks carly:) i’m glad you come by so often:)
Right on and write on.
thanks gabriele:)
Martha, I love the truths in your post. I’ve only been blogging for three years. You’ve got me beat. 🙂 And you have wise words here. I am in that in between stage–between you and the young moms out there. Though, I am an older mom with younger children (for my age). I think we all have something to contribute, and we all have areas where others can speak into our lives . . . if we’ll let them. 🙂
i totally agree jeanne:) i have never felt i was this fount of wisdom that everyone needed to learn from me. i always felt i was learning from everyone at church but in the process, it turned out others were actually learning something from me. it always took me by surprise.
what i noticed as i read so many blogs however, was the absence of input from older, wiser people in many cases. it’s no wonder. so many go to churches where they don’t interact with people other than their age group. often many of these newer churches have the majority of their members 30 and under…a sure pattern for disaster. wise younger people will seek out the wisdom of people who have lived through many stages of life. if they don’t, they will have blind spots for sure!
when i was younger, i hated it when older people told me things like, “this too shall pass.” or “enjoy your children because this time in your life will fly by.” but i’m glad i listened to them enough to enjoy my children as much as i did…and much more than my parents did.
Wow! Great article, Martha! I appreciate your insight and reasoning quite a bit. Thank you for putting your writing and thoughts out here for us.
Deb
glad you like it deb. i’ve learned a lot over the years starting with susan hunt way back in the early 1980’s when she came to speak at our presbytery women. every year at general assembly and presbytery i learned a little more as well as at the large women’s meetings in atlanta that were massive. then we would go home and try to put what we learned into practice in our church with the resources we had:) it was pretty amazing to watch GOD work because we weren’t all that awesome ourselves. we did have some amazing older women as role models though!
Great topic. I am 71 and blog and am Reformed.
i just got it up. you are fast carol! maybe we can meet for lunch someday. i was so surprised to see that someone was commenting on a blog and was from huntsville:) i grew up in south FL…ft. lauderdale. we also lived in miami and loved it. moved to TX in 1988.