What no one tells Christians about going viral...
Or maybe they do, but it doesn't feel real until it happens.
My essay on the Enneagram has exploded. Certainly by my standards, anyway. Has it gone viral by full internet standards? No, of course not. But in the space of 3 days, I’ve had almost 100 new subscribers, over 7K views on the post, over 180 re-shares, over 200 likes, and I’m approaching 100 comments. In Substack-land, where engagement with long-form content (and this is the longest essay that I’ve ever written) requires a deeper commitment from internet users, this is pretty insane.
I’m getting pushback (totally expected this) from people with VERY valid questions that are testing my knowledge of Scripture. I’m getting pushback from Christians who simply don’t share my view, and we have to agree to disagree. I’m getting hate from angry pagans because, well, of course I am.
And amidst all of this, I must tell you that having “Substack success” when you’re a Christian looks very different in reality than it does in your daydreams.
Christian writers, here’s an important reminder: we long to have more readers, more Substack subscribers, more engagement with our work. This is a GOOD thing to want, but never forget that it comes with more responsibility.
If you are writing in obedience to Jesus, you’re presenting yourself as a leader in your space. People are coming to me with questions and placing weight on the substance of my answer.
That’s heavy. It’s intense. It challenges my Bible knowledge (and lack there of — let’s be honest). It challenges my pride (as someone who found her identity in her intellect as a school girl, old habits die hard). It puts me in a position of authority that I don’t feel equipped to occupy.
And you know what? I’m not. I’m not equipped. Neither was Moses. Neither was David. (No, I’m not placing myself in the same league as them – I’m merely using them as a perfect example of how even the greatest leaders still weren’t equipped for the job). Is it any wonder that the leaders of the Bible leaned SO heavily on the Lord?
No one tells you how heavy the responsibility will feel once it’s handed to you. No one tells you how ill-equipped you will be when your time comes.
But also, no one tells you how mercifully and beautifully the Lord will provide the answers that you need. No one tells you how kindly He will shield your heart from the emotional wounds intended by the arrows hurled your way.
I’m shocked by how little I care what people think in regards to my essay. Not because I love to be convinced of my own “right-ness” or because I fancy myself someone who doesn’t care what people think of her (I care, guys. I really care lol) – but because when the Spirit invites you to speak, it is GOD’S armour which protects you when the arrows fly.
I’m also shocked by how incredibly well the Lord is supplying me with the answers that I need. One person asked me an extremely thoughtful question to which I simply didn’t have an answer (and I didn’t even know where to start to find that answer), and then out of the blue, 24-hours later, a friend of mine sent me a podcast episode covering that EXACT topic and giving me a starting point to seek the Lord for more.
But why am I shocked by God’s kindness in all of this? I shouldn’t be.
This is what nobody tells the Christian writer when they go “viral”: that if your heart is truly rooted in obedience, humility, and faith, He will equip you with what you need. When you submit to Him in all things, remembering that it is Him alone whose approval you seek, He will grant you the wisdom and courage to carry on because He is good. When you hunger for Him above all else, the success becomes less exciting than the live-time move of God that you’re watching play out before your very eyes.
To Him alone do I fix my gaze, my eyes transfixed in awe. And also, in Him alone do I need to continuously find my strength, wisdom, and direction because pride could swallow me SO FAST, guys. Like, so fast.
We can’t do this without Him. If we want success in our writing as Christians in this crazy, messed-up world, we need to be prepared to take on the responsibility that comes with it. And how do we prepare?
By realising we’re not, actually, prepared, and never will be. By digging deeper into our Bible. By crying out to God for His help even more. By embodying the prayer and the full armour of God as laid out by Saint Paul in Ephesians:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
My mom read this scripture to me today, and I cried. I’ve never cried while reading Ephesians 6 before. But it’s become real in a new way. God’s kindness, my need for Him, the reality of the principalities at play: it’s all becoming real as I walk through this year of Jubilee.
Success in our writing, far from making us feel like we’ve finally got it all figured out, should actually show us all the more how little we know and how much we need Him for our every word.
Give me this day my daily sentences, God. Hallowed be YOUR name. YOUR Kingdom come. YOUR will be done — not mine, as the writer, but yours, as the source of any valid wisdom I write. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Let it be so, O Lord my God.
To rise up, we must kneel. To take up space in any meaningful way, we must decrease and allow Him to increase.
I am hopeless to answer these questions being hurled at me. I am terrified of the authority people are placing in my words. I am crying as I write this. Seriously. I am filthy rags made beautiful only by the glorious mercy of my God.
Look to Him, friends. As readers and writers, look to Him. If you want to write and find success, look to Him. If you want to read my work and then seek deeper truth, look to Him.
In Him we move and breathe and find our being. In Him we are surprised by Joy.
I take up this space as a writer with shakey, wobbly faith in the God who alone can equip me.
If ever I cease to depend on Him to carry the responsibility of leadership as a Christian writer, may He take it all away.
There is no other option. There is no other path to life.
This is what we commit to when we ask God to bring success to our writing. Writing for the Lord is an act of submission. You offer yourself as a living sacrifice. And through it, beauty rises.
Are you ready for it?
All my love,
P.S. If you’ve just found me here because of the Enneagram essay, here are a few of my other pieces which give you a better feel for the kind of content to expect here at The Battle Cry. And welcome, friend. I’m so glad you’re here.
For fellow Christian writers:
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You know, I think your post got through a block in many (it definitely did for me), because of the way you presented it. We are all used to seeing bloggers come down like a hammer; that style easily raises defenses and makes it easy to dismiss the message as legalism (whether it is or isn't). Your post was disarming because you admitted to having all the same defenses as your audience would have. I heard myself in your responses and it made me aware of how proud I am in my own judgements, of my ability to intellectualize as a means of justifying. Whew. That's a cautionary tale unto itself. Where else have I been dismissive?
I also think we are in a different cultural moment. It seems like, with all the talk of "re-enchantment" in the air, people are more ready to discuss the more harmful realities of the spiritual world. I know I am. Thank you for writing it!
It's amazing that some people want to argue it's okay despite the fact that you so articulately explained it's from a demonic spirit!!
Your mum sounds awesome btw. I did not grow up in a Christian home, so I can only marvel at a mum who reads scripture to her daughter.