Leaving a Spiritual Legacy through Journaling

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home where my parents genuinely displayed faith in God in every aspect of their lives. Even when things didn’t turn out the way Mom and Dad wanted (for instance, Dad lost his job when his employer’s company went bankrupt), never did I see them doubt that God would provide and that, somehow, all would be okay. And, of course, He did provide, and it was okay.

They set before me examples of faith through prayer and being in the Word of God. My dad became a part-time pastor in a tiny church after losing his job so, of course, I observed him studying the Bible. But his prayers at mealtimes or in church always proved to me his heartfelt trust in God.

My mom, too, was faithful in prayer. All my life I knew that Mom awoke early each morning to study the Bible and to pray. She always kept a prayer journal. But one night in the midst of their struggles, I walked past my parents’ open bedroom door and there was Mom as I’d never seen her. She was kneeling beside the bed like a little child, hands folded, elbows resting on the bed-top, praying out loud.

She heard me walk by, stopped, and turned, told me she loved me and wished me a good night. As I closed my bedroom door, I heard Mom resume her prayer.

Things were hard. Money was so tight that in the grocery store, Dad had to put back a box of toothpicks Mom placed in their cart. There was no other job in sight. But through it all, Mom and Dad prayed. They trusted God.

Another moment that stands out from that time is the day Mom showed me my grandmother’s journals, recently brought out of storage. Seeing that stack of black-bound books, each one of the stories of one woman’s heart cries to God, struck me profoundly. I’d always known that Mom journaled, but I didn’t know that Grandma also did. Those journals spoke of vulnerability, honesty, and beauty, even though I’d never read a word of them.

I am not a journaler, although I’ve always felt I should be. Because of this blog post, I discovered several interesting and inspiring journaling options from Warner Press that might make a journaler out of me yet.

The first, Journaling for the Soul, a Handbook of Journaling Methods, seems like the perfect place for me to begin my journaling adventure. “Journaling for the Soul,” the introduction says, “helps eliminate the hurry, brings quiet for hearing, and creates much needed space. It acts as a means for documenting the main thing, which of course, is a living and active relationship with God.”

The book covers a wide range of journaling methods for various personalities, offers assorted topic ideas, and really appears to meet people where they are at in their lives. This actually seems like it could work for me.

Other Warner Press journaling options focus specifically on Scripture, which I love. Delighting in the Divine, a Creative Journal for Praise and Worship; Faith over Fear, Journaling for Peace in Life’s Storms; and Abba Hear my Heart, A Prayer and Verse Mapping Scripture Journal all intrigue and inspire me. Each of these books is unique and specific and I think that Peace in Life’s Storms particularly could be a lovely gift for someone experiencing those storms.

I don’t know if my mother will ever allow me to read her journals—or if I’ll ever read my grandmother’s—but I have a feeling that reading Mom’s thoughts from those difficult years would offer a lesson in finding peace during the storms of life.

Journaling our thoughts to God (which is simply prayer in written form) in the good times and bad is a great way to preserve our history with God. Journals are like letters to our future selves. When new storms hit, we can open our journals, read how God led us in the past, and feel comforted that He will again lead us through anything.

I encourage you to check out the journaling options Warner Press offers. Journaling can become a precious part of your daily—and even future—life.