Writing the Code
Recently my life has been consumed by website programming. As an artist, this is a tough task for me because I have to use the other side of my brain which is very resistant. Programming is a world unto its own and a language of many complex varieties. Just when I think I know what I am doing, some new fancy language is introduced and my learning curve pitches to a new level. Every web page that you look at has code behind it which you can’t see. At the very start of the code is information which enables each site to be scanned by web crawlers so that it comes up in search engines. This code, called meta data, gives snippets of information about the content of the site. It is essentially the sites’ identity, waving its hands saying, “Hey look at me! I am exactly what you want.” Many times programmers will try to fake-out the search engines by using keywords that aren’t related to to the site, just to drive traffic there.
How many times have you clicked on a site only to find it has nothing to do with what you were looking for? This happens in our own lives too. How do your keywords measure up? Is the stuff that is behind the face the real deal? This morning during my Bible Study, I began to make a list of what God is to me. Essentially, I wanted my keywords to state why I believe in Christ. Keywords which I choose to live by, the expressions that make up who I am and hopefully what others see, both inside and out. If I were a website that should be found, this is how my code would read:
<meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" /> <title>Deborah Swanson - Follower of Christ - Wife - Mother - Friend</title> <meta name="description" content="To live a life worthy of the calling God has placed upon my life."> <meta name="keywords" content="you're my God, my rock, my healer, my counselor, my provider, my g-mail, my comforter, my fortress, my creator, my truth, my savior, my body guard, my light, my wireless connection, my provider of time, my scheduler, my father, my focus, my clarity, my ransom, my giver of grace, my mercy, my love, my friend, my discipline, my living water, my breath, my food, my high-def vision, my strength, my shade in the scorching sun, my rescuer, my serenity, my voice of reason, my hope, my laughter, my joy, my peace, my confidant, my forgiver, my eternity, my walk, my creative force, my quiet in the storm, my teacher, my financial security, my ticket home, my everything">
For me, these are undeniable truths. God does and is each and everyone of those things for me and is my identity. Without Him, I couldn’t be the wife or mom that I am or desire to be. These names of God make up who I am and represent the hope that I have in my life. Notice these words aren’t about me, they are about THE ONE who created me. I can try to put all kinds of words in their place, but unless they are about HIM no words or names satisfy.
What would your keywords be?