A friend suggested to me months ago I begin keeping a journal. It took me all this time to quit coming up with excuses and just do it. She told me to make it as routine as brushing my teeth. “Come up with a time of day to do it and stick with it” she said. I am doing it, now for several weeks. It is the last thing I do before I go to sleep. If you have never given it a shot, I think you should try it too! Become your own Dear Abby, advisor, spiritual counselor..
Funny how when you start off journaling, it begins with just a few mundane entries much like “Today was just like any other day, and thank God I was in it.” Okay, maybe most people don’t put that last part in but those that are cancer survivors trust me, they do! After a few days of recording boring meaningless items, I quickly found myself yawning at my own writings. I begun to think deeper as I wrote, doing more than just recording events but thinking about the feelings and emotions I felt during the day. I reflected on what felt good, what hurt, what made me angry, what, if nothing else, stood out each day… Oh, then I turned the curve and my journal came to life. I have not looked back since.
Taking the time to record your perceptions of your life becomes an adventure into the inner depths of your mind and soul. Your journal entries become a safe haven to let your uncensored thoughts and feelings free flow. It fosters that child in each of us to rise to the surface and be allowed once again, like in days gone by, to speak with a freedom that society does not allow for.
Political adversaries can’t say such things in public like “Praise God for whom all blessings flow.” Society doesn’t allow for us anymore to comment on our differences because there is such a fear of offending someone. God made us unique but society does not want us to point that out. Diversity is acceptance of that which is different, ignorance is not being perceptive to even noticing it. Acceptance is noticing diversity and embracing it. A journal will allow you to do that. It provides an opportunity comment on what is different and unique not only with you but with others and celebrate those differences.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think pictures do have value but honestly, I have never had one picture taken of myself where I felt anyone looking at it could come up with a 1,000 words to either describe me or imagine what I was thinking! Hence, the written word is priceless. If it were not so, would Christians everywhere hold the Bible in such high regard? We all need a record of history documented. Create the documentation of your history, write it down!
I promise you, if you entertain the child in yourself, you will find that you still have that wide eyed child that looks at Christmas lights for the first time with awe. You will also find areas in your life where you have possibly been avoiding confrontation and by seeing it, in writing it down routinely, you can create the inner strength to resolve it. Many issues can be solved in taking the time to think things through. This daily exercise of your mind will tap into reservoirs of insightfulness you have buried.
A daily entry will question your faith and understanding of God’s presence in your life. It increases awareness. Much like a blog, when something noteworthy happens in your life, you can discuss it with yourself in a journal. No one but you will be reading it so you are free to express yourself any way you like. Take note of the miracles that happen every day, record them. When you do, you will find a litany of proof of the Lord’s very existence.
Most importantly of all, having a journal leaves something priceless behind to those that care about you long after you are gone. Not only will you come to know yourself better but your history will not go untold! For aren’t we all a story?
