Article By Trina Dofflemyer
Although individuals from any worldview may chronicle their daily activities and reflections, the spiritual discipline of journaling has added significance for a Christian.
Does God care about the details of my life? If He does, why isn’t it more obvious to me?
Eudora Welty wrote, “The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order, a timetable not necessarily–perhaps not possibly–chronological. The time as we know it subjectively is often the chronology that stories and novels follow: it is the continuous thread of revelation.”[i] One practical tool for Christians to recognize God’s continuous thread through the tapestry of their lives is the spiritual discipline of journaling.
What Is the Spiritual Discipline of Journaling?
Although individuals from any worldview may chronicle their daily activities and reflections, the spiritual discipline of journaling has added significance for a Christian. Donald Whitney explains, “As a Christian, your journal is a place to record the works and ways of God in your life. Your journal also can include an account of daily events, a diary of personal relationships, a notebook of insights into Scripture, and a list of prayer requests. It is where spontaneous devotional thoughts or lengthy theological musings can be preserved.” [ii]
Within the pages of a notebook, disciples of Jesus Christ wrestle living within this world and yet not being of it.[iii] They mature in their faith as they navigate their relationships with their Creator, their neighbors, and themselves.
Within the pages of a notebook, disciples of Jesus Christ wrestle living within this world and yet not being of it.[iii] They mature in their faith as they navigate their relationships with their Creator, their neighbors, and themselves.
The Christian Scriptures Reflect the Spiritual Discipline of Journaling
Within the pages of the Christian scriptures, God placed portions of “journals” written by his people throughout the biblical ages. In the psalms David authored, he praised the glory of his holy and compassionate Yahweh, confessed his grievous transgressions, and mourned from a downcast soul that God had forgotten him.[iv] The Teacher of Ecclesiastes recorded his memoir expounding his intellectual journey searching for the meaning of life. The Gospels contain first-hand accounts of Jesus’ geographical travels and his private and public conversations.
Jeremiah wrote his “confessions.”[v] The weeping prophet bared his soul to Baruch, his scribe, who preserved the weeping prophet’s spiritual pilgrimage.[vi] He narrated his cruel persecutions, his loneliness and depression, and his betrayal by family and friends.
The Old Testament prophet did not understand God’s actions and inactions in this earthly world and asked hard questions to the One who had called him to his prophetic mission in such evil times: What are You doing, Lord? Why? How long, O God? In his misery and confusion, Jeremiah reaffirmed what he knew to be the truth of his righteous and merciful Lord and God. In these passages, “it is revealed that the prophet was a man like unto us, yet valiantly pressing toward the light he could see.”[vii]
Suggestions to Practice the Spiritual Discipline of Journaling
- Approaches and techniques for this spiritual practice will differ with each individual personality. Experiment with might be feasible for your daily or weekly schedule.
- Possible writing tools include a spiral notebook, a store-bought blank journal, loose-leaf notebook paper in a 3-ring binder, or a laptop.
- Date each entry.
- Record your location: your front porch swing, a comfy chair in a quiet corner, sitting on a bench on a nature trail, a table at your favorite coffeehouse, or at your desk before work hours.
- Spelling and grammar are irrelevant. A journal is for your eyes only. Be honest.
- Begin with a prayer and acknowledge God’s Presence.
- Reflect on your day’s journey. Describe what you have seen, heard, or felt. Share a meaningful poem or quote. Make note about your convictions from a scripture passage and how to apply it in your life. Write out your hopes, struggles, and questions. Record your goals. Outline your day and pray through it with God.
- Place your journal where you will see it to remind you to practice this discipline. For example, where you have your daily quiet time with God, at your workstation, or in your favorite personal corner.
- If nothing comes to mind to write, start with just one sentence. Depending on your personality, other options include sketching a picture or jotting down a list.
- Occasionally read your past entries.
Practicing the Spiritual Discipline of Journaling Matures a Christian’s Walk as a Disciple of Jesus Christ
- Journaling focuses your mind. Writing out whatever is trapped inside your head frees your mind to focus on what is most important. This practice takes the whirlwind inside your head and puts it on paper. This in turn brings clarity of thought as you reflect on what is most important, trying to process thoughts and experiences from God’s viewpoint.
- Journaling encourages Christians to internalize God’s Word and to apply it to their lives. It is an avenue for the Holy Spirit to speak to them while reflecting on a passage of scripture and writing a prayer of response.
- Journaling creates a testimony of God’s faithfulness in a Christian’s life. They become more aware of God’s Presence and engagement in their lives by expressing thankfulness to their Heavenly Father for his answers to their petitions, for his specific gifts, and for his kindness.
Whitney encourages us, “By slowing us down and prompting us to think more deeply about God, journaling helps us feel more deeply (and biblically) about God. It provides an opportunity for the intangible grays of mindwork and heartwork to distill clearly into black and white. Then we’re better able to talk to God with both mind and spirit.”[viii]
As Christians process their subjective perception of their life stories through journaling, they give God’s Spirit an opportunity to renew their understandings. They focus less on their own emotions and desires and more on God’s trustworthiness and true attributes. Their Heavenly Father reveals the continuous thread of revelation of his faithfulness and interworkings throughout the hours and days and years of their personal pilgrimages through temporal time as they journey towards a future eternal hope.
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[i] Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings, page 75.
[ii] Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life, page 205-206.
[iii] See John 17:14-16; 1 Corinthians 5:9-10; Romans 12:1-2.
[iv] See Psalm 145, Psalm 51, and Psalm 42, among others.
[v] See Jeremiah 11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; 17:12-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18. Biblical scholars vary in their specific verse assignments.
[vi] Clyde T. Francisco, Studies in Jeremiah, page 65.
[vii] Ibid.
[viii] Whitney, page 210-11.