There was a season in my life when I journaled frequently. What I journaled and why I journaled thankfully changed and evolved over time, producing good fruit. God, by His marvelous grace, changed my heart and my mind, and through His Word taught me to journal in a manner that would please Him.
When I first began my journal, it was not mature introspection or biblical self-examination to evaluate my faith or my walk before the Lord. My journaling was self-centered, full of self-pity, the epitome of “woe is me.” I had originally thought I was justified in what I wrote, and I was certain that for my own “sanity” I had no other recourse but to indulge in intense emotional outpourings on paper in response to difficult life circumstances and in response to the unloving, hurtful actions of others. I journaled thinking I would find emotional relief and mental stability.
I recorded my despair about life being too hard to bear, about not feeling loved, and about the depth of my hopelessness. At first, I didn’t realize I was digging an emotional pit of despair and developing a sinful habit of self-destructive thinking. Every time I reviewed the words
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
