Growing through Reflection and Exploration: Types of Journaling

Have you ever kept a journal before? If so, how do you journal - thoughts, emotions, scripture, prayers, or gratitude? If you’re new to journaling we share why journaling is so important here.

Journaling shows us areas of promises kept, truths implanted deep in us, and how God has worked in us over time. I’m reminded of the phrase “live in the day and measure in the decade” from Morgan Snyder over at Become Good Soil. I’ve looked back at my journal years ago and been reminded about how God has delivered me or has done incredible work in certain areas of my life. These are the things you can rarely see in the daily hustle and bustle but become so clear when you take the time to reflect. 

I'm going to dive into a few of these types of journaling so you can see the vast number of ways you can journal and possibly adopt the practice of journaling into your life. Don’t try to tackle every one of these at once. If you are comfortable with one, try another one out for a couple of weeks. Take it easy on yourself. 

Journaling Scripture

Try reading a passage of scripture, slowly, a couple of times. You might pick the famous Psalm 23 or the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. As you read it, listen for anything that stands out, "shimmers" as Dallas Willard says in Hearing God, or phrases that seem to impact you. 

You might ask yourself these questions after reading the passage a few times: What do you think the Lord is saying to you through His Word? Is there anything that the Lord is telling you about Himself? Is there a memory that the Lord is bringing to mind? Is there something you want to ask God? 

Prayer

This is not original. I was at a mini retreat recently, and the wise teacher leading it talked about a simple practice that he does daily. I found it really helpful to journal about these things instead of just praying or simply thinking of them. 

It’s really simple: 

- Thank you, Jesus (for anything that produces gratitude in you)

- Help me Jesus or Jesus, Help (what in your life do you need intervention in or provision for?)

- Wow (what are you in awe about right now?)

Tip: just journal what comes to mind. Try not to force things or manufacture anything here.

Emotions 

Do you know your emotions? 

For myself, struggling with emotional intelligence is part of my story since I grew up communicating little emotional language. A tool called the Feeling Wheel has unlocked a whole new world of emotions for me that I didn’t know existed, though I was experiencing them all along. The more we become acquainted with emotion language, the better we can connect with our Heavenly Father. 

Take a quick look at the feeling wheel. How many of these emotions do you recognize? Do you use them daily? Are these descriptors completely new to you? 

The Book of Psalms covers the breadth of human emotion. We see joy, peace, assurance, dejection, dependence, fear, sorrow, lament, and more. 

When journaling about your emotions, I'd encourage you to spend a few minutes just taking a few breaths and thinking about the emotions you’ve been experiencing over the last week. If that feels like too much, just focus on the last 24 hours, or even just the last hour. 

Once I found that my emotions were a gateway to the Father, I started to experience God more in my everyday. Another saying that comes to mind that I think about often is “problems in the world reveal problems in our soul.”¹ Meaning, that when we are upset, frustrated, overwhelmed, or just feeling down, it’s an opportunity to be curious about what’s going on beneath the surface. 

Remember the comment about feeling like you have to have it all together sometimes? You don't. Journaling can help you discover more about yourself and your relationship with God.

“The dullest pencil is sharper than the brightest mind”

-Mark Twain

[1] Quote by Morgan Snyder of Become Good Soil