I won’t be surprised to find out that most of the Journals kept by Christians are filtered by scriptural quotes filled with all the right things to say rather than the things that are truly felt and thought. Imagine writing down your truest, purest thoughts and then searching the scriptures for the emotions and issues you wrote about and then writing down the scriptures next to how you really feel. I think this approach to journaling will have a much more fulfilling effect. You are fully expressing your thoughts and emotions and processing them through the Word of God, as you begin to release, your heart is open and emptied to receive. It takes vulnerability to do this, but the reward of vulnerability is intimacy with the Father.
The shame of hiding the emotions, guilt, and issues that are sometimes seen as “non-Christian” is completely eradicated from this process as you completely open up those thoughts to the light of the word and instead of shame and condemnation you’ll be aware of God’s abounding grace. A lot of the times what directs us away from the presence of God are those unprocessed emotions that we carry around, and although we hear God’s word, what is often real to us is what we feel and with the reinforcement of external forces such as modern day media, we are pulled into the direction we are trying to avoid. This hiding of things in us that aren’t outright Christian creates a set of people I’d call “deep-but-shallow-Christians”. There are those people that know all the scriptures, always quick to respond to any negative with a reprimanding bible quote, but if you were privy to their own relationship with God you’d quickly realize that it’s not as deep as it looks. The devotion is not constant enough to provide the roots and depth a strong relationship with God requires to last forever. Not long ago that was me. I noticed the drastic extremes of burning with holy passion for a time and being deeply lethargic and bored the next moment. Chasing the excitement of worship and romanticizing the idea of it to the extent that we chase after the feeling instead of the presence.
What we need to remember though is that God is present with his full presence the moment you allow him access into your life. Yes, even in the uneventful, mundane moments of life.
journaling can really open up your every day to God and builds contentment and gratitude, which facilitates your deeper growth in Him. You can commit to this way of journaling today. As you study your bible or follow a devotional take note not only on what is in the word but also about how you feel before and after you’ve studied.
We Grow in Faith 