Being a journal writer is an uphill battle for me. I have a
tendency to go through dry spells. I seem more motivated when things aren’t
going smooth, when I feel like I need to hit my knees and pray. Then, I have
more to say, require more of a therapy session and thus, want to grab my
journal book and get one for free. And, what does journaling actually do but
force you to think and reflect. It is a stop and listen to yourself moment that
hopefully creates an aha moment for free!
The experience of journaling is the cathartic act of
allowing oneself to free flow think and capture it in writing. Communicating to
yourself with no fear of judgement is liberating. It is not worrying about
punctuation, grammar or spelling also. That slow can frequently slow down the
process and interfere with your train of thought. It is letting the hostility out without having
the ugly confrontation that can often backfire. It is telling someone where to go without
mincing words but in a private safe place. It is having the great comeback that
is never really said, days or maybe even years after the fact. It is wrapping up the torn pieces possibly of
your broken heart, a fragmented life and dysfunctional relationship.
Too many times, words get in the way of moving forward in
your life. Once said, uttered by you or someone near, they can’t be erased nor
their initial impact. Putting them down in a journal and releasing the feelings
and your thoughts gets them out in a visual mirror and forces you to somewhat
listen to yourself also. It is kinda like taking out the garbage and lightening
the backpack of life’s stressors.
Journaling can be as as simple as having coffee with a
friend kind of conversation and catching up with the day. It is answering “How
am I?” It is “What did I do today” and “What
is making my life incomplete?” It is the
mundane in other people’s lives perhaps but the stuff that makes you wonder
makes me feel down or just day dream. Work it out awake, with all your senses
in the solution. Detail how you are
changing.
Family secrets can often be found in a journal’s pages. Put
words to horrors, to discoveries, to missed opportunities, to tragedies. This
is liberating for the soul and creates a history of life, of the life and times
we live in. Your story may be someone else’s and it may, one day, help someone
else get through. Don’t carry the past into tomorrow so release
it in a way you aren’t forgetting it, are documenting it if you need to reflect
on it but are working through it. You are freeing up your energy and spiritual
life to live in the now. The entries on pages of a journal ensure the legacy is
left of once was.
Giving praise to God
through a journal is an incredible way to devote our prayers also. Many times
prayer at the end of the day eludes people because the minute they hit the
pillow sleep overcomes them. A quick
visit with a pen and paper is a super easy way to create your blessing
list. What are your top attributes as
these are gifts to not only you but to the world. Don’t ever let God think you take these
blessings for granted. Let him know what you are trying to do to develop them
and share them with others.
Soul searching is often most sincere when it is done alone.
What are the riches that define your life?
Write them down so those that follow you know what you set out to do. Prayer is communication; writing is a form of
effective communication, even to God, thus the Bible. Document your thoughts,
your questions, fears and faith issues. You may discover they are answered,
simply in the writing process!
Time is slipping away. You are one of the millions of stars
God gazes at daily. You are tasked with living fully this life you are given
with all its ups and downs and curves along the way. Make sure your life
experiences are captured in some way for others to learn or experience part of
you. So many things in life go left
unsaid, unknown and when you are gone, they are buried. Your life can’t be defined by a tombstone. Take
pictures, journal or find some other way to make your statement about your
life. Just maybe it will be a new beginning, starting with a “ Dear Diary. “ The rest of us can’t wait to hear about it,
about you!
