Journal it!
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.”
1 Peter 2:6 -7
So, today you have prayed, worshiped, lead every thought away captive, were still, read your Bible, drank water, walked, resistance training, are eating healthy. Now record it.
Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
Psalm 102:18 ESV
The wonderful thing about journaling is that it doesn’t have a censor. Say whatever you want to say. This is where you write all your hopes and dreams, your problems and despair, your prayers and faith.
“He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
Isaiah 61:3
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”
I had a diary as a child where I wrote childlike things that kids think of. As an adult I began writing down my problems and working them out on paper. This was nice and cathartic. I felt like I had an action plan, a goal to overcome my issue and I did. But after a few years of writing these problems down in composition books I had a change of attitude. I no longer wanted to just solve my problems. I wanted to achieve true joy. I wanted more out of life than solving problems. I wanted love, fulfillment, faith, peace, freedom and the ultimate joy. Realizing that I cannot get to those things focusing on problems I changed my medium. I invested in a beautiful journal. When I picked it up I felt hopeful, joyful and excited. I decided to write beautiful things in my new journal not just problems. Yes I still had issues as everyone does. But somehow they seemed less intense writing about them from a point of view of beauty rather than ashes. Writing about the solutions to my issues and coming up with wonderful dreams and plans created a focal point of beauty and joy in my life. I do believe that this was a gift from God, beauty for ashes.
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.
Malichi 3:16 ESV
So what will you write? Your problems and work out solutions. Realizations you had during your “being still” time. Prayers you will pray next time. Record your successes in your walking, workout and eating routine or new menu ideas. Write about how you feel. Chronicle your faith in God and what He has done for you. Catalogue who you want to help and what you want to do for others. List what you need others to do for you. Here you can learn to articulate what you need.
Sometimes just write in free flow thought. You can learn a lot about yourself doing this. You may find out why you have certain feelings of angst, depression, sadness or indifference. Then you can formulate a plan to overcome that set of circumstances prompting those feelings or emotions.
The internet has countless articles recommending journaling for mental health. I believe it is important for spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health. We need to organize our thoughts, dreams, fears and goals before we can map out a path. Something almost magical happens while writing freely. I believe that whatever the spirit is that brings inspiration is most active at that time. You will have the best ideas maybe life altering ones while journaling.
Get the thoughts out of your head and on to paper. This will relieve your mind from racing from one thought to another and back again forming perpetual anxiety. Remember to record being glad because all those problems, issues, struggles, and trials are making you more precious than gold. So write down the experience, how it came out and what you learned. You will be amazed at how you come through things. Later on you don’t even remember them. You will have come a long way.
I personally love the way the pen feels gliding on a page but with modern technology you do not have to be bound to paper. A journal app maybe your go to. Perhaps you are an artist and a sketch book is your thing. Draw out your ideas in pictures. Be creative. It is your life. It is your world. Love it. Live it. Record it. Journal it!
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8 ESV
