Journaling
Today I’m talking about journaling. I’ve even got a FREE PRINTABLE for you to help you get in the habit of journaling. If you, like me want to journal…but seem to always fall off the train after a few weeks. You can go straight to the printable here. Or you can read on. Up to you. But know that the photos in this post are from about ten years ago. So, there’s that bonus.
Let me start with an anecdote about college. It feels like it was only a second ago, but really it’s been more like a decade. Yikes. My senior year I studies abroad. I think I started out doing it for the wrong reasons. Those reasons being mostly to run away from my real responsibilities. Things like, getting married, going to real classes, and facing a future that was becoming increasingly uncertain. I was engaged and I was panicking a little because I knew what I’d been studying was not what I wanted to spend my career years doing. Oh, and I was terrified of being married, because the whole idea of “submission” and trusting another person to lead me gave me cold chills every time I thought about it. But those are things we’ll discuss on another day.
So, long story short. Kind of. I ran away. I ran away to London like a Lost Boy to Never Land.
I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t care. Until I had a moment of panic and tears in the O’Hare airport bathroom after going through security. Because, honestly–what was I doing? Suddenly it all seemed crystal clear. This was one of the most idiotic things I’d ever done.
I’m affected by fear. I like routine. I like adventure, but I also like to control it. Nothing in my own rational understanding of myself said this was a good idea. But it was too late. The plane would board in a few hours and I’d return in a few months. That was that.
I dried my eyes and went to my gate and made small talk with the few other students who were flying out of Chicago instead of Indianapolis. All the while my mouth was dry and my palms were sweaty and I was sure everyone would think I was a wimpy, prudish loser.
Luckily we serve a God who is relational and loving. He is fully capable of redeeming our fear and our questionable choices. Even if my heart wasn’t in the right place when I decided to go, God used that season for my good.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)
He stood at my side while I faced fears. He was a companion when I was all alone. He gave me adventurous friends who taught me to explore. He led me to a church that spurred spiritual growth like I’d never known. He gifted me one closest companion to travel with, pray with, church with and grow with. That friend still urges me on in faith today.
God used that time of uncertainty to prove that He was always with me and He’d always care for me. I think He used that time to prepare me for the life of uncertainty, adventure, and sometime upheaval that laid ahead.
It was only three months, but the impact God had on my heart during those months has remained as vivid as ever. He taught me so much. And He changed me so much. And maybe the coolest thing of all, was that I wrote it all down.
Every day I wrote pages and pages in my journals. I filled three and a half while I was there. It’s a blessing to be able to look back and see the adventures taking place in my life and the changes in my heart. In hindsight it’s clear that God was at work. Working hard every single day of that adventure. In hindsight, it turned out to be the best decision of my life–not the most idiotic.
I loved writing while I was there and reading my entries as bedtime stories to my friends. I never wrote anything too personal and if I did, I skipped that part. However, when I returned to the states my entries became spotty. Scattered. Sparse. Then nonexistent.
If there is one practice I’d like to reincorporate into my life, it’s journaling. Journaling used to be a stress reliever and relaxing practice. Over the years I’ve tried different forms of journaling. I’ve done prayer journaling, because it provides a record of what God is doing in your life. I’ve tried a daily journaling technique. A planner I had offered journaling space. These things all got left empty or abandoned shortly after starting.
Then, earlier this month, a friend in small group shared that she’d received a “one-liner” journal for Christmas. Hers is meant to record one-liners from her children, or just one line about what they did that day. Since then, my wheels have been turning over my own journaling desire. So, I thought I’d create a One-Liner journaling page to try to re-cultivate the practice in my life.
If you’ve ever talked to someone who is a journaling guru, they’ll never say they regret it or that it is a waste of time. Ask someone who spends time journaling during her quiet time with God and she’ll probably gush over how the practice impacts her spiritual walk. Journaling provides a record for us. A tangible way to look back at what God is doing. It shows us clearly, how God has answered prayers. How He has walked with us all along. It showcases our own growth. Just like my journals from 10 years ago, spiritual journaling allows us to see clearly how we are constantly being transformed and renewed in Christ.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
Okay, so back to the One-Liner pages for us who aren’t so good at journaling. Here’s the idea. On each printable page there are only five lines to fill in for each day (or week, or however often you choose to use it.)
Easy. I think we can do it.
You can write one line about them all or just some. Up to you. The key is–one line. A short, concise thought. That’s it!
Because I believe things are easier to use when they’re pretty, I shined it up a bit and added a few extras for you to fill out. It’s easy to hole punch and put in a binder. But only if you want to. The idea here is to keep things low stress and low pressure. This is not something to undertake because you feel guilty about not journaling. This is a tool to use to draw closer to God. God is not interested in our check lists and He is not impressed by the number of “spiritual” things we do in a week. Just remember that.
If you’d like to try journaling, I’d love for you to join me. I’ll be recording my progress on Instagram with the hashtag #quiettimeoneliners. (I might not snap a pic of all my answers, because these are personal between me and God. Just a heads up.) Anyway, if you want to join in–or even if you don’t–you should follow me on Instagram. I’m amy_allender. Let’s be friends. Let’s encourage one another and praise our wonderful God for always being near us. For walking with us and transforming us. For being a living God whom we can see at work when we take a few moments to look back.
Want that journal page? Just click here. I’m working on setting up a download library. But that’ll be a job for another day.
Amy
