Journal time

I don’t know if you have ever tried journaling. It is a great tool you can use in your quiet times to help you grow in your relationship with God.
Journaling is essentially getting a notebook, and writing stuff in it – it could be prayers, it could be quotes you like, it could be your thoughts on a passage from the bible you’ve been reading. It could be noting down random thoughts you have on things to do with God, or a mix of several of those things. What it isn’t however, is a diary. I make that distinction because, speaking as a guy, I know usually guys don’t do diaries. But I would advise doing some journalling.
Why? Several simple reasons.
Firstly, we forget things. If we have journalled our thoughts, made a note of that class quote we read, listed down what we have been praying for, then we can refer back to it easily and refresh our memories.
Secondly, by journaling it gives us focus during our quite times. It can be easy to get distracted, but having a pen in your hand and noting down your prayer can keep you focused on what you are praying about. And also I have found that when I write down my prayers then I end up praying for a whole array of things I wouldn’t have normally thought to pray about.
Also, another benefit of journalling is that it gives you something to look back over and see how you have grown, see how God has answered your prayers, and during rough times it can give you some encouragement by reminding you of better times spiritually.
So how do you go about it? It’s pretty straightforward – all you need is a notebook of some sort – it could be plain, lined, one with a fancy cover, a specific journal book as sold in Christian bookshops, just whatever you feel comfortable with. And also you’ll need some form of writing tool (I’d recommend a pen or pencil!). Other than that, you just have to go for it. It can be hard thinking what to write first, but I have found once you get past that initial moment of being stuck for what to write, things just come flowing out after that. So give it a try today if you don’t already journal. And don’t forget to look back over it at some point in the future too, as that is a great benefit of journalling, having wee reminders to look back at and draw encouragement and inspiration from.
If you have any thoughts related to journaling, please do share in the comments!