Since I started journaling in 2003, the practice has become my most treasured and formative habit. I truly cannot imagine life without it. Most mornings, you can find me curled up by the window in the early light with my mug and pen stash reading scripture slow and journaling. When I write out verses, prayers and my innermost thoughts on my waiting pages, God teaches me. I write as I learn and learn as I write. God corrects me, comforts me, frees me, molds me and reveals His character to me more and more through these morning rituals. The practice gives a beautiful experience with a fruitful outcome.
Friends asked me to write a series explaining how I journal. Instead, I wrote an eight-week guide to equip you with the tools and practice you need to journal confidently on your own. You can use it alone or in a small group.
There are several approaches to journaling and we will dabble in many. Since journaling is so personal and open-ended, I provide freeing flexibility within a helpful framework. Each week I introduce a different method to practice and each day I provide a different Bible passage and entry-starter to follow. It is up to you how deep you dive into your daily studies; journaling can take a short and sweet 15 minutes or it can easily stretch to a lovely hour.
Your white page is a space to explore a concept and flesh out a thought. It’s a place to weigh decisions and evaluate everything beside God’s Word. There, you can store nuggets of truth that speak to your soul and revelations that stand like milestones in your life. It’s a safe haven to be real and raw and deep. It is a record of your faith journey and a reminder of answered prayers. It is a mechanism for staying your mind on a prayer when you might otherwise be distracted, a lens to look inward, a tool for practicing solitude, a gauge for how you are doing spiritually, a place to reason through possibilities and a spot to create beauty. The habit reels God into crannies of your life where you previously stood alone, chips away at assumptions and entitlements, lifts of burdens, uncovers lies, dismantles idols, probes motives and gradually transforms you into a more discerning person. Call it a system, an instrument, a channel or a method. Call it a ground for encountering God and a means for developing Christlikeness. Call yourself a journaler.
I am excited to be a part of your journaling journey. Download the free document and get started. I had the opportunity to lead a small group through the course in 2020. When the class ended, each lady said she wanted to continue journaling. I provide instructions for small group leaders in the introduction. As always, feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts and questions.
Heather
