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Journaling Ideas and Incentives

Journaling Ideas and Incentive

Why Journal?

–A Journal gets your thoughts out of your head and onto paper.  It helps release inner thoughts and emotions.

–Journaling can be a tremendous help to our spiritual formation.  Whether we find ourselves in a particularly good time when we are experiencing the love of God or in a particularly difficult time when we wonder if He is even there, journal keeping can help us to continue to seek the Lord.

–A Journal encourages wonder and curiosity, and can improve your writing.

–Journals help you work out confusing issues and deal with emotion.  If some person really annoyed you one day, for instance, you might write about what happened and realize why you reacted as you did and what can be conceivably changed in the future.

–Journal captures a point in time and chronicles account of life changes

–Journal entries of the past can be valuable.

–Journaling can help work things out before you actually carry them out.

Getting Started:

1. Gather your tools.  A diary, spiral our bound notebook, leather or handmade journal will do.  Whatever is comfortable for you.  Same goes for pen or pencil–color, tips (fine) whatever you enjoy writing with.  Journaling on computer works also.  Have a bible handy.  Personalizing your journal can be fun with:  scraps like movie tickets, receipts, flower petals, glue in photographs, sketches and drawings, writing poems.
2. Find a place to write.  Ideally away from distractions giving yourself 5, 15, 20 minutes.  Sometimes it’s good to delegate a time when you feel most comfortable or timely for writing.
3. Date your page so as to note progress, times when prayer is answered, how prayer life and spiritual growth have changed.  How your life has changed.  Some people write weather conditions, and the time they are writing.
4. Write without concern for grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Write what is in your heart, what you are immediately concerned about: your children, spouse, work, health, church life, a friend, and idea or project.  Scenes that capture glimpses of family life that can bring pleasure and even tears in years to come.  Include sensory details:  colors, tastes, smells, sounds and the feel of something can leave lasting impressions.  Like the scent of rain on a cloudy day while taking a nature walk with God.  Sounds as you rock your child to sleep.
5. Balance your positive and negative reflections.  Don’t forget the positives in your life so your central focus isn’t on the negative.
6. Focus your writing if you are a planner.  Focus on God’s word.  Adore God in prayer, song and scripture.  Confess sins, or give praise in thanksgiving.  Some have a section for prayers, dreams, visions, bible studies, answers to prayers, things God has shown them in their walk be it bible studies, scripture the Lord has given them to study.

See Back for Benefits and things for your spiritual journal!

Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal:

–Clarifies my understandings of the nature and will of God.

–Organizes my thoughts and gives me a chance to play with ideas.

–Brings out thoughts that might never have occurred to me otherwise

–Records spiritual thoughts and realizations, and growth I have so they are not forgotten

–Encourages me to take time out on a regular basis to sit with God and make sense of life in all its chaos.

–Keeps a balance between head and heart.

–Helps me to know myself better.

Things that might be in your spiritual journal:

–Insights, promises, helpful passages and revelations from devotional life

–Specific prayers I have prayed, and Gods answers to them, thanksgiving for Him.

–Personal behavioral struggles with family, work, finances, etc.

–Needs I have in personal, spiritual and practical areas.

–Meaningful quotes from spiritual books I am reading

–Personal identity struggles–who am I, what am I supposed to be doing?

–Lessons I have learned in the school of life–daily events of personal or spiritual significance.  Where God is leading me.

–Experiences when I keenly am aware of God or God’s will or wondered where God was or stood in my life.

–Disappointment, hurt, pain and suffering. Victories, failures, joys and sorrows.

–Places I have been and what I draw from them–travel and pilgrimage

–Special experiences from God.  Ways I have surprised myself.

–Things discovered in looking back at past journalizing.

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