The Value of Keeping a Personal Journal
1. THE VALUE OF KEEPING A PERSONAL JOURNAL.
*A safe place to ‘unpack’ our thoughts and emotions. I find that I start by just pouring out the details and impact of the previous day, or week. As I write and name the events and emotions somehow a clarity emerges and I can then, prayerfully, consider how to respond- inwardly and outwardly in my words and actions.
This is also very useful when major decisions must be made- you constructively record and reflect on all the relevant factors.
*It is a precious record of those ‘numinous’ moments. The deep revelations when you ‘hear’ God speaking to you through something in the Bible, an inspirational message, a movie/book/talk that went deep into your psyche.
*It is a record of significant events your own life and in the lives of your loved ones. Also a journey through the hurts that are part and parcel of being in relationships.
*Some years ago I went on a Dream workshop and learned the value of recording and meditating on significant dreams. My journal is a place for that journey.
Journaling sensitizes us to the hurts of others. As we contemplate what others are struggling with, even if they have hurt us, we see that we all are imperfect and each struggling with their own ‘demons’. I read a lovely illustration on empathy. A mother asked her 10 year old son “What is empathy?” He relpied “Empathy is your pain in my heart”
These are a few personal benefits, there are many more however, ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. Have delight in your own journey.
a. HOW TO JOURNAL:
1. Buy a good solid cover book. ( I have been journaling for approximately 45 years. My journals are stored in boxes and if I didn’t choose hard-covered books they would not have survived 😊)
2. Choose a time that is suitable for you. It is important to journal regularly but do not turn it into a boring ‘diary-like’ chore.
3. Record important events in your life or in the lives of significant others, including what that event meant to you.
4. Record your feelings and questions. They may change but they are also important indicators of what is happening in your life. The Psalm writer said, ”Wy are you downcast O my soul?”
5. Be creative use words, pictures, poems, quotes, drawings, etc. It is your space, there are no rules about your use of the journal- except do not use it as a weapon to hurt others if they happen to read it.
6. Keep your journal private- it needs to be a ‘safe’ place for you to be totally honest. I read a quote. ”If I die before I wake, throw my journal in the lake” . I have not yet decided what my instructions will be.
7. Aim to be positive- acknowledge the painful negatives but don’t wallow in them. Look for understanding, insight, ask God to help you to deal with it positively.
A journal is like communicating with your inner self in total freedom and it is often the place where God speaks to us. Whether it is through reflection on a sermon we have heard, an inspirational book that we have read, or some verse or passage from your daily bible reading, or an answer deep inside where we know that God has heard and spoken.
