Why I Journal

[I wrote this today for the March newsletter of REST Ministries - a spiritual retreat center in Converse, Indiana. The owner/operators are friends of mine from Fox Valley Christian Church. For more information about REST Ministries, click here.]

Although I have been a Christ-follower for over fifteen years, it has only been in the last three that I have embraced the spiritual discipline of journaling. In these busy days, there is something unique about taking the time to stop the chaos of life and put pen to paper. In those moments, it seems as if God speaks a little louder and I listen a little better. Journaling – for me – is the essence of God’s challenge to “be still and know I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

It is in my journal that I speak of the mundane and the magnificent. It is in my journal that I confess my sin and thank God for his grace. It is in my journal that I discover who I am and who I long to be. It is in my journal that I see there is no coincidence or circumstance that is beyond the control of God. It is in my journal where I see how God has shaped my heart and where I may need some additional heart surgery.

There is no rhythm to my times of journaling. I may go days without writing, and I may go weeks without missing a day. As a pastor, I spend a great deal of time in local coffee shops meeting people and preparing for upcoming messages. I have discovered that these are the moments that are most conducive for the habit of journaling. But I have also found myself journaling in airports and hotel rooms, at my kitchen table and on vacation, in my tent on the trail and in my office at the church. The key is to have my journal with me at all times so that I am prepared to capture the thoughts and experiences of life as they occur.

Jean Cocteau (1889-1963), the French poet and novelist, asserts that “after the writer's death, reading his journal is like receiving a long letter.” My hope is to someday pass along my journals to my son, Ethan, so that he can see the inner-thoughts of his father. I want him to see that his father was strong and weak, proud and humble, filled with faith and filled with doubt. I want him to discover that real men ask questions and cry and love their wives & children with radical devotion. I want him to know what inspired me and what challenged me. I want him to know…me.

I do this because my Heavenly Father once left me a journal so I could know him better.

Is the spiritual discipline of journaling for you? You may be surprised by the impact the simple act of putting pen to paper will have upon your love for God and your love for people. Be still. Write often. And listen for God to speak.