Journaling: Writing the Story of Your Life with God
“O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.” Psalms 5:3 NRSV
Series: Journaling: Writing the Story of Your Life with God
Devotional: 1 of 4
On the nightstand next to my bed sits my Renovare Life with God Bible, a copy of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis, and a stack of journals that tell the story of my life with God over the last five years. Within the pages of these journals are stories of finding joy in the ordinary moments of daily life and stories of learning to surrender to God's Will in the present moment.
Every morning when it is still dark outside, I drag myself out of bed, grab my Bible and journal, and make my way downstairs before anyone else is awake. In this place of solitude and silence, together Jesus and I begin to wrestle with questions like:
What do You (Jesus) want to say to me today? Where were You (Jesus) actively at work in me and around me yesterday? And what is the current condition of my soul?
Carving out time to journal the answers to these questions provides a way for you and me to capture the beauty of each new day, each moment that is shaping and forming us more and more into the likeness of Jesus. Moments that when strung together over weeks, months, and years, chronicle the person we are becoming in Christ.
The practice of journaling has a way of slowing down our pace of life. No longer in a hurry, we are invited into a time of reflection and remembrance. A time to recognize God's guiding hand in every area of our lives. (See Psalm 77:5)
In time, a journal becomes a thank-you letter to the Lord. A place where our hearts are filled with gratitude as the puzzle pieces of life begin to come into view. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Journaling creates a space where we can bring all of the thoughts, emotions, and ideas that are stuck deep in our minds out into the open. In this safe place, we are able to put words to how we are feeling on the inside and then offer those words to the Lord. (See Psalm 5:3)
Whether you are an avid journaler, just sticking your toe in the waters of journaling, or the thought of journaling makes you cringe, I would invite you to lean in. In this series, we will explore together the fruit that the Holy Spirit is actively cultivating when one says yes to the practice of journaling: Patience, Gratitude, and Self-Control.
Today, begin to consider how God might be inviting you into the practice of journaling as a way of writing the story of your life with God.
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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