Why You Should Take Journaling More Seriously
One of the biggest weaknesses of being Human is the fact that we forget easily. Sometimes good things happen to us, we find ourselves fussing about them fervently like we will never ever forget but in a few days we forget our blessings and start looking to the waves of life.
We should all keep journals and I’ll tell you why. Journals serve as reminders when we forget, like how photo albums remind us of how good or bad life was in the past. Flipping through photo albums, we get to appreciate the journey to our present and we are energized to hope for the future.
Our consciousness can be ephemeral, just like someone taking a look in the mirror and forgetting the image minutes later as he walks away. We hardly remember the details of the very image we saw in the mirror yesterday, let alone last week or the week before. God being a spirit communicates spiritual mysteries and truths to our spirit and when we write them down we are able to allow our minds settle into these truths. We are able to hold on to them, to nurture and steward them into the reality of our lives.
The Psalmist made a mental note to remind himself of ALL of God’s goodness through psalms and songs.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not ALL his benefits” — Psalm 103:2
We forget much more than just blessings, sometimes God reveals the future to us through visions or dreams or inner promptings, we get to feel so strongly about them but only for a short while before we begin to forget.
God gave Habakkuk a clue on how to steward a vision, how to stay on track and not forget.
What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how he’ll answer my complaint.
And then God answered:
“Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming — it can hardly wait!
And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time”
God’s word is the truth, it breaks all barriers of time and space, even when it seems slow in coming, wait! Don’t forget it, don’t leave it behind, wait on it.
From the beginning of time, God has taken written letters seriously. From the ten commandments to the scriptures, God has prompted men to write and not forget.
Why was it important for God to inspire people to write?
Imagine the world without God’s word, imagine life without the Bible. When God gave us the Bible, He didn’t just give us a book, he gave us a library. A collection of 66 books from forty authors written over a period of 1500 years. Across the scriptures we find man’s growing understanding of the nature and character of God, we find our origin, identity and inheritance. The authors of the bible wrote down the details of their experiences with God. Sometimes God took them to the past, at other times God took them into the future or helped them make sense of an unfolding reality in their present.
The art of journaling is not just an ancient art form; in fact, it is an essential part of our walk with God today. The very scriptures you are savouring today was one time a journal born out of intimacy with God.
Most writers at the time didn’t intend for their letters to be canonized into a book called the bible, these people were basically responding to inspirations from God; writing down promises, prophesies, revelations, prayers, songs, corrections and letters born out of deep intimacy to God on the wings of His inspiration.
“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another — showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word, we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” — 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (MSG)
Someday you will reflect over your journal and you will connect the dots, you will find the tapestry of God’s grace and love woven through your journey, you will see God’s invisible hands behind the scenes of the dark seasons of your past. Perhaps, someday a generation will discover your journal and they will read about your intimate thoughts on God and your point of view and you will help them make sense of their reality.
In truth, the Acts of the Apostles did not end with the Apostles, it continues with us. Steward every word He speaks to you, let not one word go out void, write them down, make them plain and let those who read them run with it.
Written by Ferdy Adimefe
Ferdy Adimefe is a serial entrepreneur passionate about culture and creative industrialization. He curates expressions centred on faith, innovation and technology. He is a Father, Husband, Author and conference speaker; He is also a Pastor at The Tribe Lagos.
