SPIRITUAL JOURNALING: Get Started

YOUR JOURNAL. Some people treat their journals like a secret, some open them up during conversations. Some neatly color code their entries, some scratch illegibly. Some note-take academically, some sketch or doodle between entries. My friend Michelle loves to copy verses verbatim. Ruth creates Bible word art. I quote or paraphrase scripture as I messily weave my prayers and thoughts together. Some use it strictly for Bible study and some, like me, make it a hub for every kind of meaningful thought from goal-setting to book quotes and poetic descriptions of today’s weather.

You are a unique journaler. Remember that your journal is your own and you needn’t be beholden to any guidelines. Your preferred style will develop over time. God designed the gambit of different gifts, learning styles, interests and personality types then whisked them together artfully to form individuals. Your journal will not look like my journal or like your friend’s journal. It is a secret place between you and God, so feel free and confident to make it your own. At first, it may feel awkwardly rigid like a new chair, but it will become comfy once you break it in. And perhaps it will become a beautiful unshakable habit.

GETTING STARTED. Choose a journal that feels good in your hands and appeals to your eye or you will not be excited to write in it. But do not spend too much money on it or you will not feel the freedom to fill up your pages liberally. Some journalers like thick journals that take a year to fill while others prefer pocket-sized journals to carry with them and write on a whim. I use midsized journals because I like changing my style periodically. You can pick from lasting refillable covers to spiral bound notebooks to artsy Rifle Paper Co. or Cavallini Papers and Co. journals. Barnes and Noble and Amazon offer a splendid selection and Target usually keeps a good assortment.

If you are like me and reading ideas on the internet excites you about things you promptly forget the next day, then just seize a stack of printer paper, fold it in half and staple the fold. You’ve got a makeshift journal! Do it right now. If you’d like some guidance, I created a series of Little Guides to Journal by! Start here.