From the beginning, I’ve journaled.
People who know me don’t find it surprising to picture me with a few extra words to express.
I think God took hold of my verbility (I just made that word up) the moment he saved me and began turning it for His purposes. The Bible has a lot to say on the subject of talking and listening.
James 3 has some sobering words, as do “a few” Proverbs (1:8, 33; 4:1,10,20; 5:1; 7:24; 8:6, 32-34; 10:19; 12:15, 18; 13:1; 15:31; 17:28; 18:13; 19:20, 27; 22:17; 23:12, 19, 22; 25:12).
Amazingly, by God’s grace, I think He has made me a better listener over these past 12 years. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I talk less! I just (hopefully) don’t dominate as much air space in conversation with people as I used to…that is, until somebody hands me a microphone (what can I say?). Surprise, surprise God made me a preacher, right?
Well, needless to say, much (some) of my talking moved into the realm of solitude…in written form. In journals. To God. That was before the days of “blogging”. Shoot, I actually made it through high school without an email address…but the rate of technological advancement is an entirely different post.
So I have a stack of journals, mostly filled with prayers and petitions, ramblings of a desperate redeemed sinner who was wrecked by God and His mercy and given an insatiable hunger for God, still with major ups and downs, sometimes all over the map, figuring this life of “following Christ” “living for God” out. Or, trying anyway. Or, figuring myself out maybe? There are lots of benefits to journaling. I’ll write more on that in the future.
As of late, my journaling has slowed (hear screeching tires)…in a world of high-tech social networking tools, etc…I wonder why? But, I’m determined and I recognize the need for it in my life. So, I’m sure, it will continue at some rate throughout my lifetime. With peaks and slow times.
Now that I’m a dad of three…I’ve really been thinking about “legacy” and “passing on the faith” and “discipling/mentoring the next generation” and all the other biblical ways to say it. At 31, knocking on 32, I’m feeling really cramped for time even if the Lord were to give me 50-60 more years. There’s simply not enough time to learn everything I want to learn, read everything I want to read, teach everything I want to teach, etc…
So I journaled this question the other night:
If I (you) were to write a book to my (your) kids, stressing the important things in life, the essentials, what would the chapter topics/headings be?
And if you were to give a couple sentence synopsis of each chapter – what would it say?
Seven pages and 28 topics later I could finally set my pen down.
For now.
AJ
If you’re interested…here’s a recommended resource on spiritual disciplines (includes a chapter on journaling):
Donald Whitney’s “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life“
