Dear Friends,
Years ago I wrote a short booklet on the art and spiritual discipline of journaling. I decided to reprint it here in serial form for my Rest and Be Thankful readers. One of the fun things I like about the booklet is the short excerpts from my old – very old – diaries.

Other than that, I must admit I would probably write the booklet differently if I tackled the subject today. I think I have “loosened” up and improved a good bit in my writing style in the last 10 years. Nonetheless the booklet has merit and hopefully it can be a blessing to you as you hone your skills in this important area of spiritual processing.

Here is part 6 of “Journaling: A Meeting With God and Me”, by Joan E. Tyvoll

January 8, 1962
“Today we went to school and I am not glad one bit.”

Making the Most Out of Your Journal
Journaling has immediate benefits because it causes us to reflect and focus our thinking on what God is speaking to us about. It has continuing value as you re-read your entries and work with the contents of the journal.

The most basic step in using your journal is to regularly read back over what you have written. Many times I have prayed about something and then have forgotten about it until I read the journal entry where I talked it over with myself and God. What an encouragement to realize how God has answered prayer. I may be able to see where I am actually making progress in an area of concern.

It is appropriate to read your journal any time. If I feel stuck or stagnated in my spiritual life, it is a signal for me to go back over my journal. I can usually pick up a clue that helps me figure out where I am at or at least where I may have veered off the path. I try to figure out any problems or areas of need. Sometimes the exercise gives me enough encouragement to settle in to where I am as I realize that God really is at work.

It is also helpful to have set times to look back over your life. You can reflect on what has happened and make plans for the future. Birthdays, the end of the week or month, at the start of a new year, or other natural life markers are when I find it helpful to evaluate past goals and make new ones. My journal is an indispensable part of this process.

Here are some questions to use in evaluating the contents of your journal:

*What do I write about most often? The past, present, ideas, events, or other people?
*Are there significant areas of my life that are not finding their way into my journal? Is there special meaning in this?
*How frequently am I writing? Am I satisfied with this? If not, what am I going to do about it?
*What features of my journal/writing do I want to continue?
*Are there ways I could make better use of my journal? (Klug, 1982:119)

I have made it a point to emphasize that your journal is your own, with no one correcting your grammar or grading you on creativity. In the same way, there is no one checking you for neatness or form. So these next suggestions are for your own benefit.

My journals tend to be littered with scribbles and doodles, but I know how hard it will be to read six months from now if I don’t make some effort to make my handwriting legible! I would also encourage you to accurately date each entry to help you retrieve material easier.

When I go back over a period of journal entries, I use a highlighter to mark ideas and statements I want to work on again, or that I may want to find easily in the future. Some people use a system of letter codes to mark various types of entries. For example, “A” could stand for an anecdote or illustration one would want to use in sermons or other writings.

“Gleaning” is a more sophisticated retrieval system for the series writer, speaker or pastor using 3x5 index cards filed alphabetically under topics with anecdotes, quotes, or insights gleaned from journals.

To Be Continued...

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