Around that same time, I started considering a new blog design. Started looking at colours, and really started mulling over a tag line. I knew I was ready for a secondary heartbeat to be finished, and for nadinewouldsay to be the name. But a tag line. That's what I wanted. Something that made it more than just nadinewouldsay and that showed my purpose.
One day, I came up with it. I wrote it down, and stored it in my heart. I thought about in constantly, so grateful I'd finally put in a sentence what my heart was.
Another day, I popped back over to that site I mentioned earlier. To my horror, I saw my tag line there.
I had no idea if I had seen it there and thus been inspired, or if I'd been inspired elsewhere and her line happened to be the same.
I felt hurt.
Not by her or anybody. But I was sad.
I hadn't set out to steal something but I knew that if I used the tag line I would be stealing.
I know in my heart that coming up with that line wasn't sinful. It wasn't wrong or bad or hurtful or ill intentioned. But if I ever put it up anywhere online, it would be sinful. It would be hurtful and unkind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
As a lover of Jesus, the God OF the universe, the Creator of ALL things, I can trust that He'll give me a different line for this space. It might take me a while (because that one was SO good and said exactly what I wanted to say), but it'll come.
My job is to create NEW things, inspired by the One who makes all things new.
Kim of oh, sweet joy! wrote some good words on a similar topic. Before I'd even read Kim's post, I had already been mulling through similar thoughts myself. Her words are worth a read.
She shared of being on the opposite side of where I am. As somebody who had created something and had is stolen. Reading her words confirmed to my heart that I needed to honour God and this friend's tagline by not using it for myself. I had already decided that I wouldn't use it, but now I knew I couldn't use it.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
Blogging is only honouring to God if I do it FOR HIM. I give Him thanks for this online space, I give Him all the glory, honour, and praise. And I trust that He's going to give me a new tag line.
Update: Because I have curious and gracious friends, I'd already received a text before 6am asking about this, a friend kindly sharing sympathy that I'd not been able to have this line. I wanted to share here what I shared with her, because what I shared with her is the point of sharing this story. I'm not sharing this story to gain sympathy. I'm sharing it to point out that sometimes we're given option to sin, to steal, to take - but that we don't have to. We can choose a better path. We can follow our Lord Jesus who chose to humble Himself from God to man. If Jesus can do that, then I can easily give up a tagline.
My friend had just said that she was sorry for me.
No it's okay. I wrote the piece last week but I feel like I came to terms with that ages ago. I just felt like people needed to hear that we can't use the things that aren't ours if they aren't ours first. And that we have to trust God will give us new things.
