Last week I spoke about the importance of pondering. As you ponder, it is easy to go off on several tangents and have several different thoughts with no direction or continuity. If that is the case, you will have spent time thinking about who you are, your plans for the future, or many other things, but would have no concrete plans or ability to see the big picture of your life.
The solution to that problem is journaling. The image on the left captures many of the benefits of journaling.
In my own experience, when I journaled, I was able to clarify the ideas I had and make plans to achieve them.
I also used the journal as a measuring stick of sorts to see if I was moving in the right direction or remaining stagnant. After writing for a month or so, I would review where I was in the present versus where I had been a month prior. If I was reacting and behaving in the same way, I knew I needed to re-evaluate my plan, toss out what wasn't working, and adjust with a new plan.
In addition to seeing what did not work in my life, I was encouraged by my successes - no matter how small.
Journaling also helped me to be honest with myself. You may think that it is easy to be honest with yourself, but I have found from experience that it is easiest to deceive yourself. I will share one example from my life. When I was a teenager, I loved to go to dances. It was so much fun for me. As an adult, not realizing that I had changed, I told myself that I loved to dance and that the only reason I hadn't danced for years, was because my ex-husband did not like to dance. After the divorce, I suppose that I wanted to return to that happy time of my life when I was young and dancing, so I kept telling myself that same old lie, "I love to dance". I did not want to go to a bar, so I would look up other community places I could go to dance. I would even write down the dates and times of the dances. This went on for the seven years that I was single. After I remarried, I reflected on those years and realized that where I spent my time was really where my heart was. Then the lightbulb moment came, and I became fully aware that the entire time I was single and had opportunity to dance, I never went dancing! What I did do with my spare time was to go to church, Christian workshops, and read the Bible; basically, my heart was really into seeking the Lord, it was not on the dance floor. That was a refreshing revelation.
It is imperative that you become aware of how you speak to yourself. James Allen wrote a book entitled As A Man Thinketh in which he explores the power of your thoughts in relation to determining the outcome of your life. The Bible also stresses the importance of being intentional in your thoughts. Philippians 4:8-9 state, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me- put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (NIV)
Journaling will help you realize where you are in relation to where you want to go, and give you a good picture of how you are speaking to yourself. Next week, I will continue on this topic.
God bless.
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