Shared in Our Walk as Women
|
Journaling. Many people do it. Many others wish to, but don't know how to begin. Then... there are those who have journaled in the past, but quit because they looked back at their past writings and felt foolish for them!
I have been in all three "shoes". And I'd like to share some of the things I've learned with you, in the form of questions and answers.
Anything will do! Some people have used student notebooks with wire spirals. Others have purchased expensive, fancy hardbound books made especially for keeping a diary. I have tried both, but have found another option to be wonderful.
So many "dollar" type stores have sprung up over the last seven years or so. And almost all of them carry some type of bound book of lined (or unlined) pages to choose from. There are those with a pretty floral motif, and other varied designs. I love to browse them!
When I've begun a journal, in the past, in a spiral notebook, I've found my interest wanes earlier. It looks so "blah". And the pages start to shed!
An expensive journal boggles the mind with its cost. And if you find a need (or desire) to remove a page or two for whatever reason, there's a guilty feeling of utter waste! Plus, many of them have appointed spots for specific days... and the space is limited per entry.
***I'VE TRIED TO JOURNAL IN THE PAST, BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS OR WEEKS, WHEN I LOOK BACK I AM MORTIFIED AND ASHAMED! I TEND TO GIVE UP BECAUSE OF THIS.***
My best advice to you would be to only note those things, each entry, that you wouldn't mind someone else picking up, someday, and reading! I know this goes against the whole idea of keeping a journal (we do it for ourselves, not for others' reading pleasure!), but face it... someone could easily come across it when we least expect it. And, if we're careful about what we write (knowing that our emotions are fickle and our moods change quickly!) we won't write something that we'll later regret and feel foolish for.
Remember to note things that are important that day, or might be interesting to you in years to come. If you're expecting, for example, it might be nice to have details of some of the things you're experiencing that day (baby kicking a lot? Nausea and fatigue? Specific fears?)...
Even if you came to your journal to "vent" about something... force yourself to note things that are "positive", also! Write about your feelings... but then follow up with an affirmative (see my "Pregnancy Diary" on StorkNet -- link at left -- and click on Week 10-11, "Weariness, Depression and Isolation" for an example). It helps so much to "talk" to yourself this way, on paper! It helps to see the blessing, or truth, behind your emotions which may otherwise run without direction.
Another way to follow a "negative" stream of sentences, is to follow with a Bible verse, or prayer, that ministers to you, uplifts you in Christ and encourages you to go on!
Don't ever, ever, ever write about those near and dear to you in a hateful light, even when you're bone-spitting angry with them! Tomorrow, when those feelings of upset have passed, you'll regret having filled your journal pages with things that simply don't apply any longer! You'll find yourself ashamed, and fearing someone might accidentally come across your journal. You may even need to tear out pages... which can draw out other pages you didn't mean to come out. It may even end up in the journal getting thrown away... or in the very least, never used regularly again.
***MY JOURNALS ALWAYS READ SO "DRY". THEY'RE BORING TO ME! I JUST DON'T SEE THE PURPOSE IN KEEPING ANY SORT OF DIARY***
One of the main reasons we choose to journal is so that we have something to look back on. It helps us to see our growth. It helps us to reach further, and allows us to see the hand of God in our lives!
I still wish my mother had kept a recording of her earlier years, for me. It would have been so interesting, and might have allowed me to learn from her experiences. Perhaps we would have been drawn closer by it, as well.
My father obtained a copy, somehow, of an 1800's diary of a woman that was a distant relative to one of his co-workers. This lady noted nothing but the day's events on every page. Every day, she said what she did (chores, mainly), and who she saw. She even noted injuries and illnesses the neighbors and her loved ones experienced.
My point -- It doesn't matter what you write about. It does have the ability to minister to you. A year from now, when you look back, you may be thankful for what you have written down.
It doesn't matter if you feel your notations are "boring". It is a recording of your life, your growth, your dreams and victories, your trials and fallings...
Writing is very cathartic. Don't try to "be" something you're not!
***WHAT DO YOU KEEP IN YOUR JOURNAL?***
I write about the day's events, my concerns, and my walk with God, mainly. If you were to pick up my journal and read it, you'd even find days I noted details from sermons that blessed me, Bible truths gleaned during my personal devotions, and lists!
***I DON'T HAVE TIME TO SIT AND WRITE.***
It only takes five or ten minutes to write a little something.
I spend an unbelievably short amount of time writing in my journal each week. If I happen to have a lot to say, one day, I do it in the evening when all is quiet and I can think! And, then, it just pours out of me so quickly and easily.
Sometimes, if I am busy with chores and the children, something I want to note in my journal comes to mind. I make a note of it for myself. Then, when I sit in front of my empty journal page, I don't feel "at a loss" trying to remember!
Even if you only write something as basic as, "Today was a beautiful spring day! The family and I took a drive, together, this afternoon and enjoyed a picnic by the lake. It was wonderful!" -- You have a recording that will last forever!
Or... maybe your children will someday "inherit" your journal. They will look at that tiny little entry of three simple sentences, and think, "Oh, I remember when we did that... That was such a terrific, fun day!" That entry is special, and fills them with fond memories. By all means, if you don't already keep a journal, do so! I believe you'll find it's so worth it, in the end!
|
Thoughts
|
|
|
|
|
Shared by
|
|
|
|
|
Shared by 
