4 Journaling Lists for Spiritual Development
In the last 2 years, my journal has become one of my greatest companions in my private spiritual life. I’ve kept a notebook and even kept a journal for probably 20 years at this point, but it has been sporadic, and honestly a little self-consumed at times. But hey, isn’t that what journaling is for?
In the last year I have begun seeing my journal as a place of spiritual processing and daily working through things and towards new things.
And what I want to share with you are 4 lists to keep in your journal. I believe these keep us focused on what God is doing in our hearts, and keeping us future oriented towards deliberate spiritual development. I made a video about journaling as a spiritual practice for my congregation earlier this year, and you can watch it here.
4 lists for spiritual development.
Things you are thankful for
It is pretty much impossible to read the psalms and not realize that thankfulness is a posture and attitude that brings us into the presence of God. It is a defense tactic against anxiousness and permanent depression. Thankfulness grounds us in the larger story of our life and keeping this list builds the strength that only personal memory and experience can have.
I actually keep a master list in the back of my journal of these things AND usually have a small list in each daily entry.
Things you are learning
Journaling for the sake of journaling is great, but I think it isn’t nearly as powerful of a practice as it can be. I have found myself thinking through and processing certain things for weeks, if not months. As I come back to the thread every few days, I begin to get insights. When I realize I have come to a place that is powerful for me, or something that provides a level of clarity, I write it down in this list. I find that this practice helps me stay focused on places of personal and spiritual growth.
Practices to focus on
Much like the list above, at times I come to the place where I have learned something, and want to develop new practices (or things to avoid). Sometimes it is an insight on a place I would like to grow on, or put into intentional focus. Other times it is a behavior or thought pattern I want to change or enhance. I write down those things and come back to them pretty frequently. Like the list above, I find writing these things down keeps them in front of me and allows a slow chain to develop across my life.
Answered Prayers
Journaling is as much a practice of prayer for me as anything else. And my prayer life has developed and become stronger as I have been more intentional through my journaling. But I think it is really important for me to write down the prayers I have seen answered. Much like the Thankfulness list, these answered prayers build up bulwarks of faithfulness and resilience. Whether they are things in my life, or things I have prayed for in the life of others, I always want to keep these things written down.
I hope these 4 lists either encourage you to start journaling, or just enhance your current practice. As I said in the video that I posted, my journal is usually the thing I get nervous about if I can find. It and my Bible are always with me!
What lists do you keep in your journal?
I’ve got a free resource I’d love to send to you. It is a list of questions I have found helpful while journaling.