scrawling the scriptures

happy saturday from mississippi.  it is nearly 6pm and i have not changed out of my pajamas.  it's amazing that i even put my contacts in today.  this is the first weekend in what seems like months that i have ZERO plans.  at one point in my life i would have been distraught to have an idle day, but not today.  it has taken me all day to sip on one pot of coffee and i was able to take as much time for my quiet time as i wanted.  so, happy saturday indeed.

i wanted to take today's post to highlight the importance of journaling.

▣ do you wish you could remember what was going on in your life when God was teaching you patience or self-control?

▣ have you ever found yourself scribbling in the margins of your bible just wishing you had a scrap piece of paper to jot your notes on?

▣ do you feel like you would make the spiritual discipline of prayer a higher priority if you could write them down?

▣ do you ever feel like you wish you knew how to journal at all?

all these questions, well, that's me constantly.

if you are anything like me, you are a visual learner and writing things down helps you: solidify your thoughts, meditate on what you've just heard or read, learn scripture, and keep track of what you are going through at any given moment.  just think about how many notes you write on a daily basis: you jot something on a napkin, send a text, put a remeinder in your phone, tell your friend to "reminder to" or "don't let me forget to"...

from time to time, i hand-make journals.  i love being creative when time allows for it.  today, on this plan-less day, i decided to make a journal because i have been without one for nearly two months.

side story, i kept a journal for each month of the year in 2012-2013.  it was so neat to go back and see what God was teaching me at the moment that i met mark, now my husband.

but why do you journal?

some scholar's speculate that the disciples must have kept some sort of record of their time with jesus in order to compose the gospels with such incredible detail, but yes, all scripture is God breathed.
but think about it.  when you take a picture, you're more likely to remember who you were with and where you were and funny inside jokes.  same with a journal, when you pen something on paper, there is a higher chance that you will remember what you read, where you were, and what you were feeling.

why do i journal? because i am easily distracted during my quiet time. doodling and writing verses down helps me focus on what i read.  i love being able to go back in my notes and see what God was teaching me.

so how do you journal?

there is no real answer to this.  you write down verses, you write down your response to those verses, you jot down how it applies to your life, you draw a picture or highlight importance thoughts.  write down a prayer.  pick out a psalm, jot down your favorite parts, and make it your prayer for the day.

whatever you decide to do, don't quit.  though journaling might be a foreign affair at first, it will become natural and you will look back on your days excited to see where God is going to take you next.

check out my friend cassie's 10-step guide for studying the bible.