A Translucent Life

New layout, new title, new URL... Like?

I've decided to go all in, guys! I want to be an official blogger! (As in have more than 28 pageviews a month and get paid to post a few advertisement on my page.) I want to be clear - I'm not doing this for the money! I figure it'll be a few extra bucks a month, but I don't know if there's any real money in blogging. Honestly, I want to do it for the fanbase. I want more people to see my blog. Because I believe in every single thing I post on this blog. I believe in living every day for Jesus and I want to encourage others in their walk. I believe that life is better with Christ and I want everyone to know about it.

A couple of years ago I decided to live life out in the open. By that I mean that I want to live my life in honesty. I want to be honest with others about my struggles as well as my successes. I want to be honest about my mistakes, about my joy, about everything. I believe that is how God has called Christians to live. I want to live a translucent life - a life with no secrets (other than weird facts that nobody cares about, like the fact that I change my socks multiple times a day because I'm so obsessed with clean socks). Living a translucent life has rewards and criticisms. For one, I don't have to worry about acting differently around different people. Anyone who works with me can verify that I am 100% Sarah Rabon 100% of the time. The good and the bad. Living a translucent life also means hearing criticism. Truth: I get frustrated. I talk too fast. I don't think about my words like I should. People at work can also verify that. It's embarrassing, but it keeps me humble. I don't put on a show at work at pretend to be perfect because that's not who I am. I'm myself and when I make mistakes I own up to them and apologize. It's called being human.

Anyway, back to the blogging thing. I've practiced living in the open for a while now and that's why I started blogging. Once you allow others to know you, I mean really know you, you can't stop. You can't stop telling people about your worries, about your weird dreams, about your desires. There is something about human nature that makes a person long to be known, truly known. All of us want for at least one person to truly understand us. And this is where the beauty happens, because so often I am able to make friends with someone I wouldn't normally be friends with because I opened up first.

That's why I blog. I blog because I want to be honest about my life and my struggles so others know that they're not alone. And in that common bond, in that common struggle to make toast without burning it or to find the energy to finish a degree that seems miles away, my hope is that God is glorified. Whether His glory means that a person is interested in Him for the first time ever or whether that means a brother or sister in Christ is encouraged isn't for me to decide. All I can hope for is that God is glorified through my writing.

So, I'm opening up my fan base. The changes you see on this page are most likely the first of many. The truth is, I have no idea what I'm doing! But I do know that I see blogs all over Pinterest and I'm not that different from them. I'm asking a few favors from my regular readers (all 12 of you, give or take):

1. Can you pray for my blogging? Please pray that God will open doors and allow readers access to my blog. Pray that He will soften the hearts of my readers. Pray that this blog will shine for HIS glory and not my own.

2. If you see a post that jumps out at you, or if you feel it placed on your heart, will you please share? Whether it's on Facebook or through e-mail or Pinterest - it can go so much farther than you will ever know. I'm not asking for you to be my personal marketing representative and share every single entry, because that's a bit over the top. It won't mean something to someone else if it doesn't mean something to you. But if it does mean something to you or speaks to you, don't keep that to yourself.

I have to admit (because I am overly honest, after all), I'm nervous. I'm afraid it won't work, afraid nobody will read, afraid nothing will happen. That's part of taking a plunge. I'm jumping into a swimming pool without knowing how cold the water is or how deep it is or how close the next ladder to get out is. The good thing is, I know how to swim, so I guess I'll be just fine.