You’re Kidding Me, Journaling?

Formation One Motley Crew

My first formation class was the beginning of self-discovery and that started with assessments and journaling. I will admit, I was not excited when they told us we would have to submit a weekly “reflection” paper to my formation advisor…. for a grade. The purpose was to share what was going on with us spiritually and in our daily lives.

We were to look back at our week and reflect on how we saw God working in our lives, the challenges we faced, the struggles, and the successes. The page and a half requirement seemed daunting at best. I was not known to share my inner most secrets with strangers. I barely shared them with my friends and certainly not my family. But for the next two semesters, this was a requirement.

I had a diary when I was growing up. It had Scooby Doo on it. I loved Scooby Doo therefore I thought I would love the idea of writing in a diary. That love lasted about two weeks. I was more in love with the dog than the whole diary thing.

But something happened when I began to write my reflection papers. I began to share things that I had never noticed before. Feelings and thoughts that were once just blips on my radar, came to life in a much more prevalent way. They were now things to examine and focus on, searching for meaning and reason. Thoughts and feelings that made me look deeper inside myself, sometimes revealing forgotten or hidden memories. Taking me on a journey that part of me was reluctant to travel.

Our formation advisors were ministers. The goal of the reflection paper was to share what was going on with us so that they could give us feedback, guidance, and support. They were there to provide insight to what we were experiencing and help us through the challenges we faced along our formation path. As the weeks past, my formation advisor became a friend, a confidant, a trusted source with whom I could freely share without judgement or retaliation. He listened. He offered advice. He offered support. It was an experience that I had never had with anyone else. This stranger became my friend, and we remain friends to this day.

My papers grew from the minimum one and a half pages to sometimes seven or eight. I pitied my formation advisor having to read my thoughts each week. In fact, at one point, he said he looked forward to my papers so he could see my growth. It was a time of release, freedom, and emptying of all the weight I carried through the week. Sometimes I wrote my papers early just to unload all my burdens.

I came to cherish those moments as I wrote my papers. I was quite lost when the class was done.

Ironically, several of my cohort friends struggled every week and dreaded writing their papers. Some in the group were quite verbal about the time it took and the lack of purpose in the exercise. What is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure in this case. As I began to enter my spiritual battle that would last for the next three years, those weekly reflection papers held me together.

Journaling as a Spiritual Discipline but How about as a Lifeline?

Journaling is a spiritual discipline that you may want to consider. It is similar to a reflection paper. The major difference is you are writing to God and not to someone physical. No one will grade your paper. No one will see it unless you share or unknowing leave it out. What you write about, what you reflect on, what you share is totally up to you. You choose what you want to share and how deep you want to go. Your journal is your own just as your spiritual journey is your own.

Journaling allows you time to be with yourself. Keeping in mind that journaling is what you make of it, you can delve as deeply into your spiritual life and psyche as you choose. You could be superficial and simple, or you could push it for all its worth. The choice is yours.

What to Write About

There are many opinions on how to do a journal. What to include and what not to. But there is really no right or wrong way to journal your spiritual formation. The most important thing is that it is about you. It is about your relationship and your walk with Jesus. It is about how you see God working (or not working) in your life.

Journaling is about being honest with yourself and with God. It’s not like He doesn’t already know what is going on inside of you or what you are truly thinking. He created you. You cannot hide from Him.

Journaling is the chance for you to share what is going on in your life spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It is your cry out to God when you hurt. It is your chance to praise Him when things are good and when things are bad. Journaling is your time to come face to face with God. You can ask Him questions. You can question His reasons for why He may or may not have done something. It is your time to share your anger and tears.

We all go through pain, suffering, and confusion. Journaling allows us to state what is on our minds. It allows us to shout, scream, and cry on paper, tablet, or whatever device you decide to use to pour out your emotions. Journaling is the chance to have frank, hard conversations with yourself and with your God. It is a safe place to confront yourself and Jesus. Journaling allows you to “purge” your soul of everything that is pent up inside of you, including your sinful nature you would prefer to keep silently hidden away.

I always found this to be the best part, dumping all my emotions and thoughts down on paper. Getting the poison and toxins out of my soul and putting them someplace else. I can’t tell you how freeing it is to release all the negative energy.

But journaling isn’t just for the negative things. It’s a chance to share victories and successes. Face it, some people don’t want to hear about our happy times, but God does. Jotting down something exciting or happy, sharing it with Jesus, can bring a sense of wholeness and satisfaction to our souls in the same order of dumping all the negatives in our life.

Some people write prayers and prayer requests. Others keep track of Scripture that they have read and if it spoke to them. Some keep a calendar of significant events. Maybe you have a list of fears that you want to lay at God’s feet. Simply put, “A journal is a safe and sacred place to record your deepest or most mundane thoughts, feelings, fears, dreams, ideas, questions and emotions.” You can record God working in your life, your reflections about your day, your revelations about Scripture, prayer request is, a meaningful quote and even your own personal spiritual growth plan.[1] It is your journal and your journey. You are free to keep it as full as you want with anything you want.

A Sample from My Personal Journal Done During Formation One in 2015

It’s taken several years to get to the point where I am now; a place where I can look back

and say, “Oh, wow!” and have a better understanding of things. Scazzero (Peter) talks about doing for God instead of being with God. That was me. I was always doing for Go. The more I could do, the more worthy I felt. I was doing God’s work. Well, we all know from above how that

turned out. I am such a Martha.

Having a journal allows you to keep track of your growth as time passes. If you have wrote down prayer requests, you can go back and see if and how they were answered. If you were having a tough time and you cried out to God, go back, and look to see how it all turned out. The mind is funny. We tend to suffer through events and when it’s all over, we forget about what happened. Having a journal allows us to remember what God has done for us. Journaling allows us to write down how God moved in our lives so that we can see His love for us.

How and When

How often you journal is up to you. Some people journal their thoughts in the morning while others do it at night. Some journal throughout the day. Again, there is no right or wrong way to journal. When you journal is up to you. It is whatever works into your schedule.

Some people will tell you they divide up their journal into sections. They have a section for personal reflection, one for prayers, and another area where they keep their spiritual growth plan. Others simply write every day what they have experienced, what they thought it meant to them, how they thought God was speaking to them, and any lessons or insights learned. Others simply write as if Jesus was sitting across from them.

No matter how you organize your journal or what you write, if it is important to you, it matters. This is your time with God, use the journal in a way that allows you to connect with Him. Before you know it, you will begin to notice your own spiritual growth and your transforming into the image of Jesus.

I prefer having a quiet time and a private area to journal. Distractions are a disadvantage when you are trying to connect with God. I consider my journal time a sacred time. Hey, it’s a me and Him time. I don’t get the opportunity for that very often. So, I am possessive over it. When I take the time to spend it with God, I know He is with me, helping me, comforting me, and guiding me.

Journaling is a time when I can rest in His arms and know that everything is going to be alright, even when I believe it’s not. Journaling helps to bring order to my chaotic mind and life.

There are many suggestions on how to journal. I rarely recommend a book but if you feel you need more structure, check out chapter fifteen of “Spiritual Formation Is” by Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley on journaling. I receive no compensation for recommending this book. I just liked it and thought maybe you would too. Where I am not a fan on structure and prefer to follow the flow of the Spirit, for someone who is looking for a place to start, chapter fifteen does provide some structure that may help.

So, how about it? Have I made you squirm, or have I sparked an interest? Is there a flame inside you somewhere that needs a place to ignite? Do you already journal or maybe tried it? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Let’s get a discussion going.

Peace,

Janet

[1] Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley, Spiritual Formation is…” 132.