Can Journaling Help You Know Yourself?
This Thanksgiving week I'm going to spend time loving the three
little ones you see here--as well as cook, decorate, and do everything else moms and grandma's do. I'm not sure how much time I'll get to journal during the holidays, but I'm sure I'll have all sorts of thoughts and experiences I'll want to process after life returns to normal!
How does journaling help you know yourself? And do you even want to? That's a good question to consider! But assuming you realize the value of thinking about your life and your reactions, here's some suggested topics to write about.
Know that you can write anything that's on your mind. Don't worry about grammar or spelling, just write--and keep your notebook/journal locked up if you're concerned about someone reading it. Journaling enables you to:
- Explore your life, your thoughts, your feelings, your dreams.
- Weigh decisions you're dealing with: Record your options, their consequences, what you desire to see happen.
- Work though problems by writing down the pro's and con's and your feelings about them.
- Set goals and lay out how you will reach them.
- Talk over anything with God by writing a prayer letter to Him: Dear God....
- Read Scripture and write your responses--what is God saying to you?
You can gain more insights into this self-revealing spiritual practice by reading Ronald Klug's book: How To Keep A Spiritual Journal, www.augsburgfortress.org/store
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving--and be sure to record what you experience, feel, say and do during the holidays. (I'll do the same and share some thoughts with you after Turkey Day.) You'll be surprised at how much helpful insight God gives when you journal your thoughts rather than let them vanish into the air, or let them stew inside and give you heartburn!
Blessings and peace,
