For sometime, I’ve been talking to people about the importance of keeping a journal. I even encourage it during some of my Sunday morning messages, as well, because I think it’s a way for us to record what we’re going through and be able to look back and see how we’ve grown, what God has been teaching and what we’ve learned.
The reality is that keeping a journal is challenging for a number of reasons: First, it takes time…and really, who has an abundance of that stuff laying around? My view is, though, that if you have time to live it, you should be able to find enough to write about it. Did that make sense? Maybe not, but I hope you get my drift. Secondly, it’s revealing. It’s hard to lay it out there in black and white and “reveal yourself” on paper. I get that. Sometimes it’s embarrassing for US to read it, much less anybody else. Still, if we don’t put it down there, we will rarely see the flaws in our thinking and the mistakes in our living. It’s necessary to examine our lives to see how to keep from duplicating our mistakes.
There are many things that God has taught me that I’ve forgotten. You, too? What I’ve found, though, is when I take the time to WRITE THEM DOWN, strangely, I tend to remember. Sometimes, I get little surprise lessons as I’ve even forgotten what I wrote and then go back later and re-read and get the chance to learn all over again. Bonus!
I wrote a previous blog post here laying out my arguments on why you should journal. Sometimes the “why” to keep a journal may not be as hard as the “how” of journaling. So, I’ve tweaked my blog here a bit so that I’m not going to focus on nearly as many “article” type posts but try to give you a bit more of an illustrated journal. I’m going to set a goal to record thoughts directly from my personal journal several times a week and, hopefully, you’ll join me in the process by keeping one of your own.
I love to travel. Always have. Every time I leave for a trip somewhere, I grab my journal and keep a travelogue. I thought one time, “What greater journey is there besides the journey of life?” So, that became the focus of my journaling. I’m traveling through life, record it. That’s when it became fun. I think I talked about that in the post I referenced earlier. So, if you’re wanting to start the practice, join me. Stop in here and read what’s going on during my days and then take time to focus on your own. Drop a line and comment on something that you read if you like. There’s nothing more fun than going on a trip with other people. Don’t just live life…experience it!
