Being Still and Knowing

Right now, there is a lot of rave about journals and journaling. It’s a little hard to make myself stop and journal. But I can tell you that every time I push myself to stop and journal about “it,” God always makes “it” less than “it” was before. Today, for instance, I was really upset and frustrated about something. In fact, to the point that it disrupted my sleep last night! I lost hours of precious zzzs because I was reliving it repeatedly in my mind. 

This morning, I struggled to stop and journal about it. I started the washing machine, fixed my coffee, made gluten-free pumpkin muffins, and even began preparing my Sunday school lesson. All the while, I kept feeling God tug at me to talk to Him about it. Finally, literally out of frustration to focus on my Sunday school lesson, I stopped. I whipped out the notebook and pencil and went to work. Somewhere between the beginning and end of the writing, I thought, “How on earth did I let something so little become so big?” What I was upset about was nothing in the real world’s scheme. 

I’ve been journaling for years. I’m talking even back to my middle school days. So hear me when I say the journal and device are important! I have purchased many journals in my days; some I used, and some housed my grocery lists. 

I’ve learned that I like a pretty journal, and it needs the ability to flip back and lay flat. I don’t particularly appreciate having the hump when I fold it over. I like for the paper to have lines. They aren’t a necessity; they’re just something I prefer. I like pencils as opposed to pens. Pens tend to bleed through, and when I flip the page to continue writing, I get easily distracted by the background color that has seeped through. Thin journals are easier to tote in my book bag or if I have to carry them. And, in all honesty, I get bored with big ones. I love getting new journals! If I have an expensive journal, I have to write in it. It’s a struggle to be still long enough to journal, and I don’t need to add any more difficulty.  

Figure out what you like! It took several attempts to find the style that connected with me. But I knew it when I did. You don’t have to spend hours a day journaling, but you might find you love it so much that you do spend hours a day doing it! As with any goal, start small. Don’t make it a chore. Journaling should be fun. And, if you don’t know what to write about, use your pencil to tell God you don’t know what to write. You will be amazed at what you will find to write about then. 

I also love to journal when I really need to pour my heart out to God. Sometimes I need to tell Him things I would never want anyone else to read. There are many pages in my journals where I have written one line, then a line over that line, and then another. You get the idea; I write over and over it, so there is no possible way anyone will ever know what I said. I often need advice. And, other times, I need to say what I need to say, kind or not. God allows me to do this through my journaling, and then He helps me navigate whatever waters I’m in at the time. 

The hardest part of journaling is also one of life’s most complex parts: “Being still and knowing God,” Psalm 46:10. Life is fast, busy, chaotic, challenging, and hard to keep up in. But the peace He offers me is there; I have to be cognitive of it, accept it, and do it. So, if you have yet to try journaling, I encourage you to try it. And if you need any pointers, just hit me up. I would love for you to join me in journaling!