It's true. The world doesn't need another blog. We don't need more noise and clutter. If that's true though, and there are already so many people who are tweeting and blogging and posting and sharing, what's the point in my attempt to find my voice amidst it all? 

That question has literally shut me down and kept me silent for much too long. I have wrestled over and over, wondering if anything I do or say really matters. But when I look at the Father and I ask myself who I am, I come to the conclusion that I am a writer. I am a writer and I just can't help it. I am a writer and it doesn't matter what everyone else is.

Since the days of bad handwriting scribbled on college ruled notebook paper in my closet, I have been a writer. Since the times when I would stare out the window on long car rides and come up with stories about the hills we were passing and the dragons that lived on them, I have been a writer. Since the "secret writers club" held with my sister and long distance writing friends, and since my first discovery of online forums at age 12, I have been a writer. 

I was the teenager who was writing articles and sermons and devotionals for never-heard-of online "magazines". I was the high school student who took every single English course offered - from Journalism to Poetry and Creative Writing to AP Language Arts. I compiled folder after folder of emotion-wrought poems; anthologies that told the stories of my seasons of depression and doubt, hopes and fears, and even a few innocent crushes. 

I am and always have been a writer. God created me this way. He gave me eyes to see the world differently, a heart always searching for meaning, and He gave me words...words that I learned could unlock emotion and take people on adventures and reveal powerful truth.

But why? Part of me still wonders what all of this is for. I know I'm not the only writer out there. Everyone is trying to express themselves, prove their point and make their mark. Despite what lies bounce around in my head today about my worth and the importance of my voice, I am going agree with the truth. 

There is no one quite like me. (Or you for that matter). I display a unique set of facets and qualities about God that no one else can. When I write, when I press the publish button and send my words out into the world, I am giving voice to part of God's heart that hasn't been seen before. We are all created in His image, after all. 

So I've decided, I'm going to stop worrying about the clutter and clamor of the internet and stop feeling so defeated as if I were competing with all of it. I'm just going to be who I am. I'm going to be a writer. If people read what I write, if they're moved or encouraged or if they're bored or even judgmental, it doesn't matter. I will continue to be who I am and share it with confidence. 

It's true, the world doesn't need another blog. But the world does need confident image bearers who are willing to be who they are. This really does apply to you, too. Maybe you're a singer in a world full of singers. Maybe you're a photographer in a world full of photographers. It can feel pretty overwhelming, but I want to challenge you this, be who you are. Express parts of God we've never heard before or seen before. Display His creativity and beauty in what you do, and do it with confidence. This is what the world really needs.