Several months ago my mom bought me a new journal.  I love the dark, rich scent of new leather that wafts out to greet me each time I open its cover!  I have been keeping a devotional journal for many years and am always excited to begin a new volume. A Calling by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Writing has long been one of my favorite pastimes.  My mom started me down this path as a little girl, just able to write.  She would buy me Hello Kitty pads and notebooks and encourage me to write things “just like they sound.”  I spent hours carefully filling these little books with stories of kitties, bunnies, and bears.  When I was eight years old I began keeping a diary, copiously filling it with daily events.  Around this same time, my mom helped me start my first devotional journal.  Each day she would give me a Bible verse to copy and instruct me to write (or draw) my prayer requests at the bottom of the page.  

For my sixteenth birthday, my dear friend Berta gave me a copy of Elizabeth Prentiss’ book Stepping Heavenward.  This story, written in the form of a journal, tells of a young woman’s journey towards Christ-likeness.  I was captivated.  How thrilling to see God’s hand in this woman’s life through her daily events!  Inspired by this story and a new journal given to me by one of my aunts, I soon began to record God’s working in my daily life. 

What an exciting process this has been!  Journaling has proved to be an impetus to spiritual growth for me.  It is a wonderful forum for meditating on Scripture with my pen.  When trials come, journaling helps me gain perspective.  I often pour out my heart to the Lord about the matters that are causing concern and then record the verses the Holy Spirit brings to mind.  This practice has brought such comfort and reassurance!  (And it helps me see when I’m overreacting to a problem.)  My journal also offers a degree of accountability as I write down follow-through to decisions, or the lack thereof. 

What a joy it is to leaf through my old journals on occasion and be reminded of God’s perfect faithfulness! God’s hand can, at times, be hard to trace in the midst of difficult circumstances.  My journals help me glimpse the bigger picture.   

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands” Psalm 143:5.

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee….” Deuteronomy 8:2 

At the commencement of each new journal, it is exciting to see all the crisp, blank pages.  They represent the future, unwritten chapters of my life.  Journaling is a way to act as amanuensis, transcribing the unfolding of what my all-wise Author has ordained.

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© Copyright 2007 by Vida Earnshaw