Journaling
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.”
In this verse God is speaking to Jeremiah about a prophecy for Israel, not about his personal journal, but I think It is a good rule to follow in our everyday lives as well.
I have been keeping a journal for several years now. You can call it a diary if you want, I say journal because it makes me feel less like a little girl. Sometimes I write in it every day, sometimes I will go a month without opening it, but I always come back to it. There are several reasons I believe keeping a journal is something everyone should do, and several different ways that I have found to journal over the years.
THE REASONS
Like every mode of self expression, journaling should be a product of your relationship with Christ. I think It is most valuable as a way of documenting your relationship so you can look back and see him at work in your life. It is always easier to see how God has been at work in your life after it has already happened. Journaling helps you remember everything he has been doing.
Secondarily, journaling is a great way to see your own personal growth. I know that when I go back and read through some of the entries in my first journal, It makes me laugh (and sometimes cringe) to see how young and immature I seem compared to who I am now. Seeing how much I have grown helps motivate me when I feel stuck.
Journaling will also help you remember. I know that I don’t remember most of the days of my life. I remember big events, but I won’t remember the small things. Writing something down helps engrain it into you mind so it will stay with you. And if you do forget something, you can always go back and read about it. John 14:26 says “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Journaling can be used by the Holy Spirit to remind you of the things which God has accomplished in your life, as well as a way to keep hold of the things he has spoken to you, but which may not have happened yet.
A journal is a place for you to create. It allows you to express yourself with words or pictures or whatever you are able to put on paper. Creating is a very important part of being human. If you don’t believe me, check out the first episode of my podcast “Talking with Intention”.
Writing things down can help you organize your thoughts and solve problems. When you write you are essentially “thinking through” whatever you are writing about. When you write your thoughts down you get them out of your head and put them on paper, that way you can read over them with a fresh perspective and decide whether or not you believe what you have written is true.
How cool would it be if you had a journal that your great-grandfather wrote when he was your age? If you were able to read about what he was going through and compare it to your own life? Wouldnt that be awesome? If I had a journal from one of my ancestors, it would be one of my most prized possessions. So that’s another reason I choose to keep a journal, for my kids and grandkids. If they are anything like me I know they will be thrilled to read about what I was like at their age.
Journaling is fun. There are no rules. It’s your journal, you can do whatever you want with it. The best part is that you don’t have to worry about whether your writing is “good” or not. It doesn’t even have to make sense because no one is going to be reading it except for you and people you choose to share it with. You have the freedom to create whatever you want on those pages with no consequences. It is a space for you to be completely honest without worrying about judgement.
