Journaling for People Who Don’t Journal by Cheryl Sidler

I read Teresa Deitch’s blog (http://thefieldjournal.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-journalteresa-deitch.html) a few weeks ago titled “Why Journal” and it was SO good! If you didn’t read it, please do! I agree with Teresa that journaling is a major blessing, although it’s only been the past several years that I began doing it.  I used to be both impressed and intimidated by people who journal. I would look at their spirals with pages of writing and figure those big pages would stay blank in my hands.

Over time, God showed me a way to journal that fit my personality and it all started with my weekly/monthly dayplanners. I used the monthly sections for my schedule and I the weekly portions for other types of notes…which evolved into more of a brief diary. Then, as I began to spend more and more time with God and His Word, I started recording insights and reflections, or a verse that caught my eye. At the end of each year, I read through my entire dayplanner and discovered all the amazing ways God worked through my life…things I would have otherwise forgotten. It’s amazing what happens in a year!

I was surprised when I went to daily/monthly dayplanners because I wanted more space to write. I also started reading the entries each month in addition to yearly. I noticed themes that connected what I learned from the Bible and what was going on in my life and in the world.  The great thing for me is that it still didn’t require a lot of writing. I would just take short notes each day and God would put them all together over the course of time so they made sense. 

I’ve also incorporated fun ideas in my journals to express some creativity. I draw something that comes to mind through my studies or prayers, write song lyrics that had special meaning, write prayers for specific people on my heart, or write questions from the Scripture I study. Sometimes, I’ll add action steps and make a little check box to be sure I am not just a “hearer of the Word” (James 1:22)! I might write a verse I feel called to memorize or an “ah-ha” moment that might arise. Some days are just a list of songs I used in worship.  

Each day is different. God taught me to avoid legalism with this journaling method. There are days here and there or sometimes even weeks where I might have very little written. That’s okay! It’s not a contest to fill the page…it’s a record of what I am learning and experiencing. I trust God will teach me through all of it. Sometimes those blank pages are connected to times in my life when I get too busy and need to reprioritize and get back with my most important relationship. When I read over the month and see themes that connect, I sense God weaving His message throughout my life. God loves me perfectly whether I journal or not…but through my journals I am learning to know Him better and love Him more every day. There are so many places in the Bible where we are urged to “remember” what God has done. Journaling - no matter what your method - is an invaluable way to do just that!