journaling the journey

Long have I felt the need to journal my thoughts and my prayers, my lows and my highs, though I am not dedicated to daily diaries just for the sake of writing them. Instead, I keep a few journals around the house and jot down major thoughts or strong impressions that seem important to document. Sometimes I don’t even realize it’s important but I find myself needing an outlet to quiet my mind. Through the years I have learned that even without daily entries my life is a record to be studied and learned from anew. I can open any of the journals from any previous year and find words of joy and despair and anguish and celebration. More often than not, my journal pages are filled with extreme emotions rather than mundane details of daily life. And yet, even without the balanced times in between, I can see clearly the journey I am taking.

Just this morning I was reminded once again of how important this is for me. Rereading the pages from 2009 reminded me how faithful God was to deliver my spirit from despair and worry during a year of unknowns and uncertainty. My life is an open book of fulfilled promise. I remember only moments now that peace and joy have been restored, but my journal is a reminder that every day counts toward the bigger picture of God’s faithfulness. Without those written words, this would be easy to forget.

God took that lesson further this morning when I closed my journal and opened His Word:

I love you, God — you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.

God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step.

God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
Psalm 18:1, 20-24 (The Message)