Join Me On the Journey

What do you think of when you hear the word “journal?” Do you think of the diary that you kept in junior high? (Dear Diary, today I saw Doug again in study hall. He’s such a cutie!) Do you think of an assignment in English to keep a journal for the semester? (yuck!) Do you think of The Diary of Ann Frank? (”…despite everything, I still believe that people are basically good at heart”) Do you think “That’s just one more thing to do in my already overloaded day?”

A journal can be anything that you want it to be.

Simply, a journal is a personal record of thoughts, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis. You define what thoughts, what experiences, what reflections, and what a regular basis means to you. There is no right or wrong way to keep a journal. Except, not to keep one.

Why do I say that?

Well, first of all, there is power in writing it down. I know you have heard that before, but it’s true. Why does a cliche become a cliche? Because it’s true!

A journal can be as simple as a written list of goals that you regularly revisit. You can have a “quiet time” journal; a place you write down the thoughts you have during your Bible reading or prayer or meditation or Bible study. You can have a day book; a place where you write down the things you accomplished that day. Experiment and find what works best for you. You can even have more than one journal.

Having a journal can be an excellent way of developing discipline in your life.

When you pick a point and draw your line in the sand and say, “Today is the day that things are going to change for the better in my life,” writing regularly in a journal is a way to begin to develop discipline in your life and also a way to look back and see how far you’ve come in your journey.

So, do you keep a journal? Why or why not? Click the “comments” link below and tell us about it.

I will warn you that I’ll be regularly revisiting this question. I know that I’ve made mention of it in other posts–directly and indirectly. I believe that it is such an important point, I want to encourage you to consider it and act on it.

Today, if you don’t have a journal, pray about it. Ask God to reveal what benefit you could receive from writing it down. After all, the written word is one of the ways He chose to reveal Himself to us.

Buy a pretty journal at a bookstore or a discount store or a dollar store. Or, buy a composition notebook (if you don’t already have one around the house). Or, just “borrow” a spiral notebook from one of the kids.

Begin to write things down and you’ll find that a journal can become a vital tool for implementing change in your life!

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I’m reading a great book right now. The title is 25 Ways to Win With People by John C. Maxwell and Les Parrot, PH.D. The premise of the book is that there are tangible things that you can do to have better relationships.

The book begins by exhorting you to start with yourself. Neil Clark Warren has said “Your relationships can only be as healthy as you are.”

The Bible teaches this concept as part of the two great commandments.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt 22:37-41 (KJV)

Now, we all know that this can be taken to excess. There is such a thing as loving yourself too much. In fact, the natural human tendency is toward selfishness. Romans 12:3 exhorts us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.

On the other hand, that is not the problem with most of us. As women, we tend to be just the opposite. Many of us have been wounded by people who have injured us with words and deeds and it’s difficult to overcome those wounds.

But, it can be done.

And, it should be done.

And, the reason is this: when you value yourself, you will have more to give to others.

Isn’t that the desire of our hearts? to have more to give to those we love?

Take a few moments to think about how much you truly value yourself. Are you spending regular time with God? Do you regularly take time to recharge and refresh? Are you taking the time to learn new things? Do you regularly evaluate your life to determine the need for a course correction? Do you have people in your life who build you up rather than tear you down? Are you spending too much time listening to those voices from the past (or even the present) that are telling you that you’re no good?

This is a long list of questions and perhaps reading it does nothing but raise your stress level. I’m not telling you that you need to do all these things today. I’m just saying that these are some of the ways to fill your cup so that you can pour out and provide for the people you love.

I would encourage you to pray about what God wants you to focus on right now.

We’re all in a different place in our lives. Some of us are already having a regular quiet time with God. Some of us may need to focus on that first. I believe that having that regular quiet time is crucial because when we have that regular time with God, He can show us what we need to do next.

Some of us have toxic people in our lives right now that we need to deal with.

Some of us need to exercise our brain and learn something new…something we’re interested in learning “just for the fun of it.” (Some of us need to exercise our bodies, LOL.)

Take a moment today to stop and think about what your greatest personal need is right now. Write it down and come up with a plan to meet that need.

If you’re stuck, I would be happy to receive your specific question and give a suggestion. E-mail me.

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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isa 61:1-3 (KJV)

Is this not an incredible passage?

I do not truly understand all that Jesus did for me when He died on the cross. I’m not sure that my brain, with it’s limitations here on earth, is capable of understanding it on more than a surface level. Oh, I get a glimpse of it now and then, but I must say that I don’t truly understand it.

This passage in Isaiah promises me and promises you that God will give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. What promises this passage holds! And yet, I must realize something.

This passage says that He will give me all these wonderful things, but I must give up something. I must give up my ashes and mourning and my spirit of heaviness. Oh, wait a minute…I have to give up something? I have to give up all those familiar, comfortable, awful things????

All of us have those things in our lives. Those ways of dealing with life that we see modeled by our family and friends and even other Christians. We take a little of the stinkin’ thinkin’ from each person who comes into our lives, plus we might mix in a little right thinking now and then; and we combine it all together to come up with our own way of dealing with life.

I spent a good part of my life depressed. I thought that I wanted to get better, but I realize now that I really didn’t want to get better…until I finally really did want to get better.

You see, depression had become like an old friend to me. I can still clearly remember the day that I realized that depression was like my security blanket. One that I had slept with every night, and carried with me every day, and cried on night and day until it had become worn and tattered.

I had even made attempts at throwing it away, but I would always go and retrieve it from the trash. And then it began to take on a smell…the smell of death and decay.

I had to burn the blanket.

So, I did. And, I very nearly, literally died in the process.

But, do you know what I did then?

I carried around the ashes.

Thank goodness, I didn’t carry them around very long. I was able to give them up and my Father gave me His beauty for my ashes. Wasn’t that a great trade?

There are still ashes I carry that God wants me to give up.

Are you carrying around ashes? What are the ashes that you are carrying? Are you ready to give them up?

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