Open Myself to God - Journaling

     Many times the world tells us that we need to focus on the experience of something.  By that I mean, you need to go to Orlando to experience Disney World, or you need to go to the beach to experience the ocean.  But there's something more, something that we don't necessarily see if we aren't looking for it.  God is in every experience; every place we go, everyone we meet, everything we do.  We as humans tend to get so caught up on what we physically see or hear that we tend to miss the big picture.  God (usually) can't be sensed through the normal human senses (unless you're Moses and meet with him face to face).  It's in the quiet moments, when we reflect on these experiences, that we can see the Holy Spirit moving in those around us, or God's people at work .

     Journaling is a great way to really explore these experiences and talk them over with God.  I know that in times that I have journaled about an experience, I begin to see God at work in EVERY part of the experience.  The sense of privacy that a journal offers makes it very easy for us to open up.  We can write down feelings, revelations, struggles, and even vent before God, in a way that may be inappropriate to do to others.   We begin to understand ourselves more completely.  Our sinful longings, limitations, and desires become evident to us.  Journaling can help us realize our fears, hopes, and angers in a way that keeps us from hurting others.

     "The ongoing nature of a journal catalogs the journey of a soul into God.  It reveals how we hammer out our identity as a Christ-follower through the ups and downs of daily routines as well as in times of crisis." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

    
     I think they cool thing about journaling is that there aren't set rules to it.  You can journal every day, or every month, or even just any time you have an awesome experience and you want to reflect and talk about it with God.  I know that when I went to Haiti, some of my biggest revelations came through journaling my thoughts down in the form of songs.  I write mini-songs, but some may write formal paragraphs while some others may just doodle.  Journaling isn't about following rules, it's about reflecting, listening, and learning.  I know that when I journal, I can almost always see where I was at fault in my day, whether accidentally or purposefully, and I see what I need to change.  I can see where God wants to take me, and I know what the first step towards that final project is.  Journaling helps tell the story of our spiritual journey as we grow closer to God.

     The key to journaling is being truthful...even if you won't admit something, God already knows it, I mean, he created you.  So why not just write down your true feelings?