Today marks 7 years of blogging here at Brown Sugar Toast. 7 YEARS!

In commemoration of this event, I’m going to share 3 questions I ask before pressing publish. I want you to know what my goals are for the writing in this space, rather than it seeming like a random assortment of posts. Whether I write about heart issues, books, goals, or anything else, here are 3 things I want to be true of each post that is published.

1. Is it true?

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

This desire for truth spreads in two directions:

A) I want my words to be a truthful reflection of the words and character of God. If there is anything that contradicts Scripture, I don’t want to think it, much less publish it on the internet.

B) I want to be honest about the Lord’s work in my heart. Another word for honesty is transparency. I believe people are most helped when they see a striving out of struggle, not when they see someone who pretends to be perfect. My intention in sharing personal struggles is to be a living testimony of God’s active grace in the life of an imperfect sinner.

2. Does it exalt Christ as the true Hero?

Christ is always the Hero, whether or not my writing reveals that truth. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

While I want to be honest about the Lord’s work in my heart, I never want to set myself up as the hero of the story. This is a heart issue; not a stylistic one. As a result, this question keeps me on my knees as I ask the Lord to fulfill this desire in my heart and let it overflow in my words.

3. Is it gracious?

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” (Proverbs 16:24)

Nothing stings quite like speech that’s lacking in the grace department. I want my words to minister grace to those who read them. As a result, I try to be careful not to publish something immediately after writing it. The nice thing about writing words is that you can take time to pray over them and only publish what you actually want to say. Of course, such a thing is easier said than done. But this is my goal.

A person can write (or talk) about absolutely anything and be truthful, gracious, and exalt Christ as the true Hero. The questions above are goals for my writing in this space, but ultimately, I want these traits to be found in every word that comes out of my mouth. Gracious, that scares me to even write that out! We need the Lord’s help in this area, don’t we?

This prayer has been a favorite of mine since high school. Pray it with me?

“Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, O LORD,
my rock and my redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

May the Lord help us to guard our hearts and tongues today.