Every morning I grab my journal, a pen, and the Word, and make my way either to the front porch or to my leather chair nestled next to the window. My coffee steams as I anticipate how God will speak in my time alone with Him.
It never fails. A verse, a line, a quote will prick my heart and I find myself writing back to God my own thoughts. I discover that as I write the words down, His Word becomes alive and active in my own heart.
I have always been a pen and paper gal. I think best with pen in hand.
Research actually shows that writing is good for your brain. Studies indicate our retention of information increases when we write something down because we are actively engaging with it. We are able to better process our thoughts and feelings.
And these sacred morning times, alone with Him, are worthy to bare testimony to. You never know what holy encounter you may come upon.
As Lewis describes in Letters to Malcolm,
“This situation itself, is, at every moment, a possible theophany. Here is the holy ground; the Bush is burning now.”
But let’s be honest with each other for a moment, shall we?
It takes courage to be quiet. To be still. Sometimes the inner voices we wrestle with aren’t always the kindest. When left alone with our own thoughts, what will we hear?
The silence gets loud quickly.
But in order to hear His voice—the true voice—we must quiet ourselves and be still enough to listen.
I find that when I have a pen in hand, my journal open upon my lap, it is an anticipatory posture that invites Him in. Lord, I long to hear from you. I wait in anticipation to take Your words and write them upon my own heart.
I started journaling when I was a little girl. It began with an old school diary complete with lock and key. I treasured those young longings of my heart upon the pages—making sure no one could get in.
I journaled through high school. My sweetest joys, deepest fears, and broken heart found its way etched upon those lines. The journals kept piling up—evidence of a life lived full of stories.
Perhaps journaling seems a bit intimidating to you. Maybe it’s enough to brush your teeth before you walk out the door each morning. Journaling? Who has time for that?
But sometimes, when we take the time for one small act, it can change the trajectory of our life.
Start small. Grab a one line a day journal. You may find that you actually love recounting the days events as you rest each night. Maybe it provides a proper perspective of how you spent your time or reminds you of a lesson you learned.
I believe the sacred art of journaling is one of the best investments of our time. Through the ages, prominent and productive people have kept journals. Charlotte Mason, a homeschool legend, promoted the practice of commonplace journaling.
In The Living Page, Laurie Bestvater remarks of her,
"Mason had shown me that the notebooks can be forms of vitality, literally the shape and outline, the liturgy of the attentive life. They nurture the science of relations and the art of mindfulness. They teach us to see the very brief beauty of now, to know the landscape of here, to be present in all our pleasures and pains. Through them, we, haltingly, dwell in a world of ideas and connections with an ever-higher opinion of God and his works and as truer students of Divinity."
Will we choose to see the brief beauty of now? Will we recognize the Bush is burning now?
Forage the recesses of your mind and grab a pen and journal. Be present in the pleasures and pains of today. Shape your feelings onto the page before you. The Bush is burning now.
Next weekend Tim and I will travel to Greenville, NC for the Foraged Beauty Art Workshop. We’ll learn about creating a mixed media handmade journal from artist, Daune Pitman, and share conversations over a European-style picnic. We’ll go foraging together for beauty and I will share my own approach to the rhythm of journaling. Tim will show you his unorthodox approach to landscapes as we paint and discuss the value of beauty in daily practices and rhythms.
Have you always wanted to practically step into Beauty Chasing but not known exactly where to start? Do you desire to be with a group of like-minded people who know the importance of finding wonder in the everyday? If so, this is the perfect live art workshop for you.
I, too, have journaled since I was a child. We have one whole bookcase of my journals and they are precious records of life! It is as a part of me as breathing!