Keeping a journal is a spiritual practice that often helps enlighten and guide when you are discerning a new step in your life.
Words are powerful. Words clarify, provide direction, and offer a way to sort through the junk to find the treasure.
Several years ago I was in a dilemma. As county health commissioner, I no longer enjoyed the work that tipped more toward bioterrorism prevention than health promotion. My passion no longer lie with personnel and financial tensions overloaded with smallpox, plaque, and pandemic flu.
I had the opportunity to retire, but needed to decide when. This is where my journal helped in my discernment. I charted my feelings, my indecisiveness, my hopes and dreams over a several year period.
After much turmoil, even some missteps in the wrong direction, I decided on July 2006 as the date.
I discovered something really odd though, several weeks after making my final decision.
Rereading my journal, I jotted down these words TWO years before – “I think God is telling me I will retire in July 2006.”
God gave me the answer all along – was it my foolishness, blindness, ego that made me suffer in indecisiveness? Or maybe God had lessons for me to learn on that path.
I don’t know the answer, but find it reassuring God knew long before I realized it.
My post on Monday about “You are who you were when you were ten” created some interesting comments. Michelle wrote, “I think I’ll try and remember when my two children are ten to create a journal for them of that year to look back on and see who they were becoming and how much they have grown since then!”
Michelle’s comment led me to remember my incident with journaling. She is helping her kids capture a key moment in time. Whenever we take the time to write in our journals, we help to turn on the light that will guide our daily walk. Writing IS a powerful spiritual discipline.
How have you captured your hopes, dreams and decisions in writing?
“For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I’m surprised where the journey takes me.”
Jack Dann
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” ~ Rudyard Kipling
I have to admit that I am often surprised by what I have written. I don’t journal, but I suppose the devotions I write are a form of journaling for me. Thanks Jeanie for another thoughtful post. Love you Clella
I haven’t kept a written journal since I was a kid, but I do think that when I write honestly and openly on my blog, it gives me the same benefits as journeling. I imagine that I will look back on my blog posts in a few years and have many AHA moments, where I will see that God was working in my even if I didn’t know it at the time.
When life settles down I would love to start a personal, written journal, too. Just the act of writing is so cathartic.
I think blogging is a form of journaling really. We put down what we are experiencing at the time and how we see God in our lives. Last year when I really started to blog more, I did see a drop in my journal entries. I have thought of copying many of my post and adding them to the journals so I have all these thoughts in one location.
I have to admit, I don’t journal. I never have. But I can see what you are saying here…and I may be inspired to try it. I’d have to start small though — sometimes the blogging and everday writing projects are more than enough writing for me!
I journel, and do capture some dreams, but mostly it’s a prayer book-writing out my thoughts to God.
I so enjoy journaling but all too often fall out of the practice of it. A prayer journal is my favorite to keep, I love looking back and seeing how God answered prayers for us, our family and friends. Very amazing indeed. I’m currently trying to keep a journal of thanksgiving but again…I recently read ‘Becoming a Woman who Pleases God’ by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock. It really convicted me of the power of journaling or in writing things out in so many areas of my life.
I love journaling, too, Jeanie. It has chronicled so many key moments in my life. Plus, when I look back I can see how very faithful and patient God has been with me over the years. Strengthens my faith for the future.