the value of journaling - or "here i raise my ebenezer"

I keep a journal - separate from my blog. Where as my blog is for journaling what I'm reading, learning, and doing, my journal is very much for what I'm hearing, though sometimes the two are blurred.

And I think you should keep a journal too. Why? Because God will speak to you in your walk, and it's worth writing these things down. I'm not talking about big "burning bush" moments (I've only had one of those, and there was no burning bush). I'm talking about the quiet little everyday words that are whispered in your heart, the voice that convicts, encourages, teaches and guides. Consider why you should journal:

1. Journal for yourself.
   I have an awful memory. My best friend tells me stories from our school days and I stare at her blankly and say things like "Are you sure I was there?" If I didn't journal, I wouldn't remember much of what God has done or said to me, and that's tragic. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed to build "ebenezers" - stone monuments to mark what God has done, so that they could teach it to their children. You can't teach to your children what you can't recall, so let your journal be your ebenezer.
   
   
2. Journal for your progeny.
   About five years ago, my grandmother gave me a stack of letters she had written as a new army-wife of 18, far from home with her new husband on the Alaskan frontier. These letters were directed to her mom and younger brothers back home, and told of her first two years of marriage, including her pregnancy and the birth of her first child. These letters were deeply meaningful to me as a new bride. While she never really delved into the trials of the early years of marriage, it was exciting for me to see what a young couple looked like 50 years ago.
   
   
3. Journal to give your poor brain a rest.
   All warm-fuzzy memories aside, sometimes we just need a place to process and work stuff out. Journaling is cathartic. I have journaled through: my husband's unexpected 5-day stay in the hospital, our most challenging year of marriage, difficult circumstances with co-workers, expected and unexpected deaths of loved ones. In every scenario, writing it out gives me a chance to spew and find words for my feelings. I bounce back more quickly, because my brain can take a rest from all the jumble rolling around inside.
   

So that's why I think you should journal. Need a simple method to get started? I've got two:

1. Faith-based journlaing - S.O.A.P.
This is my current method, and the method I've used the most over the years. Because it's scripture-based, it doesn't get old if my life is unexciting for a season. Here's how it works: you crack open your Bible and read. Read until something stops and makes you think. It might convict you, it might encourage you, it might embolden you, it might be the guidance you're looking for. Doesn't matter. In your journal, write out the Scripture that caught you, then an Observation about that (what caught your attention?), then the Application of it in your life, and finally a Prayer. The prayer is typically related to the application, and in my journal, the two are often one.

2. Life-based journaling
If you're particularly humble, you might think your life isn't exciting enough to document. My step-dad's father journaled every day. Sometimes it was in great detail about their travels or their grandkids. Other days, it was just the weather and what his wife made for dinner. (But it was always the weather! That became something of his signature journal entry!) Write down what's happening, but if you really want your journal to be an "ebenezer", pay attention to what God is doing in your life and record that.

That said, there's no reason why you can't do a combination of the two. When something "newsworthy" happens, or when I can look back and see God moving, I quickly write it all down before I forget. Sometimes in the journal, sometimes in the blog. Either way, it's safe!