journal your way to a brighter future

Sharon S Hines

www.heargodsvoice.org

http://www.heargodsvoice.org/

Copyright © 2012 Sharon S Hines This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. Permission is granted to make copies for personal use or to share with others, provided copies are freely given and not sold. Authorship and website information must be retained on all copies. Not for commercial use. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Sharon S Hines 310 Major Rd Piedmont, SC 29673 For more information, please visit www.heargodsvoice.org Email me at [email protected] Like my page on Facebook: facebook.com/SharonSHinesAuthor Follow me on Twitter: @SS_Hines

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Journal Your Way to a Brighter Future www.heargodsvoice.org Copyright © 2012 Sharon S Hines of 12

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to share. My name is Sharon Hines. I help Christian women regain hope, strengthen their faith, and increase their capacity to love through journaling. My hope is that I can help you find a new path on your journey toward a deep and abiding relationship with God.

If you’re like me, you’ve had some significant challenges in your life. Maybe you’ve been

widowed or divorced or been in an abusive situation. Maybe you’re worried about your

finances, your job, or your health. Or maybe, like so many other women, you’re worried about

those around you: your family, close friends, or co-workers.

If you’ve asked yourself recently “Why is God letting this happen to me?” then you are just the

sort of person I want to help.

Just like everyone else, I’ve faced many challenges in my life – marital problems, health issues,

and job loss, to name a few.

But as I worked through each successive challenge, my hope only increased, my faith only grew

stronger, and my ability to love expanded. How did that happen? The secret is that I have used

these challenges as opportunities to get closer to God and to actually hear God’s voice guiding

me through the troubled waters of life.

I want to share with you how to start getting closer to God. It’s not a quick trip, but it’s worth

the effort. I know that if you put in even five minutes a day on this, and make it a life-long habit,

you can have every bit as much hope, faith, and love as I do, if not more.

The first step in getting closer to God is to recognize God’s hand in your life. That’s what I want

to teach you in this brief booklet. Specifically, I’m going to teach you how to journal for the

purpose of recognizing what God has already done for you. Here are some of the topics I’ll

discuss:

Why should I bother to journal? Isn’t it time-consuming?

How, when, and where should I journal?

What should I write about?

Ok, so I wrote in my journal. Now what?

But before I jump into all of that, let me quickly share with you a little glimpse of my journaling

story.

How Journaling Helped Me

At the age of 25, I was happily married, had a great job working for a boss I loved, already

owned my own home, and had started night school to earn a master’s degree. Then one day my

wonderful life came crashing down when my husband of four years admitted to me that he


thought he might be in love with someone else. I thought the world was falling apart. All I could

pray was “what did I do that was so bad, that this happened to me?”

My marriage counselor was the one who suggested I started journaling about what I was going

through. (If you want to hear the whole story, see the About tab on my website.) For now,

suffice it to say that journaling turned out to be terrific advice. It not only helped me get

through that situation, it continued to be a significant part of my life.

In fact, journaling has been so important to me, particularly in my spiritual journey, that I came

to realize that there are others who could benefit from my experience. I’m looking forward to

sharing all I know about journaling with you. So let’s get started.

What is a Journal?

Once I realized that journaling was helping me put my life back together after my marital

difficulties, it became part of my standard toolbox for life and for spiritual growth. I’ve had

dozens of different journals over the years, in many different formats, for many different

purposes. As a woman of faith, I consider them all important to helping me fulfill God’s plan for

my life.

Of course, people of all faiths (and no faith) journal. In fact, journaling has become increasingly

popular over the course of my lifetime. We’ll look at the benefits in a minute. But first, let me

give you my definition of what constitutes a journal.

As I see it, there are four basic elements of a journal.

1. Journals are distinguished from other forms of writing or authoring by their link to

time. Each entry is identified by a day or time or year or all of those. In some

journals, such as art journals, the creator might come back to a previous page and

add something later. However, the date an entry was written is an integral part of

the story.

2. Journals are written for the writer. Unlike writing a book, the writer doesn’t have to

imagine some “ideal” reader. Of course, sometimes the writer might be thinking

his/her children may read it someday, but in the short term, the writer and the

reader are the same person. (I’m ignoring for the moment the special category of

group journals.)

3. While the writer doesn’t have to worry about an imagined reader, or about whether

or not the book will sell, or even if the spelling is correct, a journal writer does

generally have a purpose in mind. This might be a psychic purpose (like venting or

preserving memories or clarifying thinking) or it might be an extremely practical

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purpose (like keeping track of which relative already received which gift, or having

documentation to prove your charity mileage on your taxes).

4. At one time, you could have argued that a journal involved pen and paper.

Nowadays, it could involve a computer and a word processor. Or it could involve a

recording device, whether audio, video, or both. It could be comprised of words or

images or both. The only common aspect is that a journal is information recorded in

such a way that it can be re-acquired later by seeing or hearing. It’s external to the

human brain.

So there are my four components: linked to time, created for the writer, created for a purpose,

and created in some media. That leaves a whole lot of room for variety in your journaling.

I’m going to narrow that variety down a little bit and focus just on one purpose: to facilitate the

conversation between you and God. Journaling for this specific purpose is called spiritual

journaling. From here on, whenever I say “journaling,” I’m referring to spiritual journaling.

In a bit, I’m going to make some suggestions on ways to get started. But before we get into

that, let’s look at why you would want to keep a spiritual journal in the first place.

What Good is Spiritual Journaling?

Spiritual journaling is a way to learn about yourself, to learn about God, and to learn about

what he wants for you and from you. In my own experience, here are the 3 most important

things God has helped me see through my spiritual journals:

God always has something better in mind for me. I had already learned this lesson

before I got laid off in 1994, so I didn’t respond to the lay-off in the normal way. During

my last six weeks on the job, people would stop me in the hall and say “I thought I heard

you got laid off. Why are you smiling?” My answer: “I know God has something better in

mind for me. I’m looking forward to whatever that is.” Journaling helped me to regain

hope because I could start to catch glimpses of God’s plan coming just around the

corner.

God’s timing is perfect. The scriptures tell us this, but documenting the personal proof

over and over will really make you a believer. After my lay-off, I found that proof for the

first time, in a really big way. I had given myself 6 months to find an idea for a business

to start. I ran around like a crazy person looking for an idea for the business that I felt

God wanted me to start. In Month 6, out of the blue, a former colleague called wanting

to know if I could help him with a consulting project. And just like that, I had a new

business as a consultant. After that experience, I became much better at trusting God’s


timing. Journaling strengthened my faith as I could look back to see how God had gotten

everything to work out just right.

God loves me. This isn’t just words from a song or a scripture to me anymore. I have

proof. In fact, I have lots of proof, right there in my journal. And to paraphrase John (1

John 4:19), I have a greater ability to love others because I know God loves me. When

you have enough and to spare of something, it’s easier to give some away. In my first

marriage, and even before that, I felt a lot of jealousy. It caused me a great deal of pain.

But as I reviewed the journal entries showing my progress in working through my

marital difficulties, I saw how much God loved me. As Sister Theresa told me, “God

doesn’t want you to be unhappy.” That experience helped me to get over my jealous

tendencies before I started dating the man who would become my second (current)

husband. Journaling increased my capacity to love because I could recognize all the

ways that God loved me.

Now that I’ve shared about how spiritual journaling has helped me, let me ask you some

questions. Take a few minutes to think about your answers as you read them.

How much more could you accomplish in your life if you had more hope? Would you spend less time wallowing in self-pity? Would you be willing to work harder on something because you had more hope

in a positive outcome? Could you start avoiding negative self-talk like, “Oh, that will never work. Why

even bother?”

What more would you be willing to try if you had a stronger faith? Would you be more willing to put your life and your problems in God’s hands? How much easier would it be to make decisions if you were convinced God was

behind you 100%? Would you be less likely to worry about and stress over your loved ones?

How much better would your life be if your ability to love expanded? What affect would more love have on your willingness to share what you have

with others? How would it feel to be free of jealousy, deceitfulness, or vengeance? What affect would it have on your family if you felt no need to hold a grudge?

I hope you have seen some ways that journaling could help you regain hope, strengthen your

faith, and increase your capacity to love. I’m sure you have a lot of questions about exactly how

to get started. I’m going to answer the simple questions (like when and where to journal) in a

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format. Then I’ll go into more detail about what to write.


Spiritual Journaling FAQs

How much time does it take? Journaling can be done in as little as 5 minutes a day, if you

follow the Rose-Thorn-Sniff format I suggest below. However, if you have more time, I

recommend spending between 15 and 30 minutes a day. Decide now how much time you want

to spend each day.

How hard is it to learn? The great thing about journaling is that it’s basically impossible to do it

wrong. If you aren’t sure what to write about, you can start with an easy prompted journal

where you just answer a couple of simple questions about your day. I’ll show you exactly what

to do before we’re done here.

How much will it cost? It doesn’t have to cost anything. You just need a way to record your

thoughts. You could write on sheets of paper rescued from a recycle bin, type entries in Word,

or even send a text to your email.

If you want to spend some money on a paper journal, the options range from an inexpensive

spiral notebook to a bound hard-back blank book to a really pricey hand-sewn leather

keepsake. On the electronic side, there are lots of inexpensive apps available for a variety of

smartphones, and only slightly more expensive secure online versions .

Or, you can download and print a 4-week journal from the link at the end of this booklet. To

start with, at least decide if you want to use a paper-and-pen format or an electronic format.

What physical type of journal is best? For just starting out, printing my downloadable 4-week

journal is quick and easy. After you get the hang of things, or if you feel like you’d like to have a

book right away, I recommend either an inexpensive spiral notebook or a bound hard-back

blank book. You should be able to find something pretty nice for less than $10. My favorite

places to buy journals are office supply stores, warehouse clubs, book stores, and Amazon.

To get started as quickly as possible, print out my downloadable journal and use that while

you’re shopping for something more permanent.

When do I journal? Personally, I like to journal in bed, right before I turn out the lights. It’s

quiet, everything I might want to write about has already happened, and it’s still fresh in my

mind. Other people like to write as soon as they get home from work, or even when they get up

in the morning. If you already have a consistent prayer time, this would make a good time to

add in your journaling discipline. Just pick a time that works for you and stick with it.

Where do I journal? This is also a matter of personal choice. You want a place where you are

unlikely to be interrupted or distracted. As funny as this sounds, this could be a crowded place,

like on a bus. Even though lots of people are around, chances are they won’t be talking to you.


Wherever you pick for your journaling spot, it should be someplace you can go every day.

Figure out now where that is.

Should I share what I write? Most of the time, you won’t want to share what you write. You’ll

be recording your personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. You’ll want to be able to be

completely honest with yourself and with God. If you are expecting to share this with someone,

it might affect what you say and how you choose to express yourself.

If you live with others, make sure they understand that your journal is private, and ask that they

respect your privacy. If this is going to be an issue, find a safe place to keep your journal away

from prying eyes.

How big of a commitment am I making? I would encourage you to just try this out for 4 weeks.

See if you enjoy it and if it has value for you. If you’re not sure, you may want to try some other

format (like drawing instead of writing) before you give up completely.

If you can’t find a journaling format you like, maybe this isn’t the spiritual discipline for you.

There are lots of others, so keep looking. Eventually, you’ll find one that suits you.

Spiritual Journaling Levels

A recent study sponsored by Willow Creek Community Church identified 4 stages that

Christians go through on their spiritual journey. These stages are:

1. Exploring Christ: “I believe in God but I’m not sure about Christ. My faith is not a

significant part of my life.”

2. Growing in Christ: “I believe in Jesus and I am working on what it means to get to know

Him.”

3. Close to Christ: “I feel really close to Christ and depend on Him for daily guidance.”

4. Christ-Centered: “My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my

life. It guides everything I do.”

Interestingly enough, the 4 levels of spiritual journaling that I have gone through over the last

30-odd years map very nicely into these 4 stages of discipleship.

Even if you consider yourself to be beyond the first stage (Exploring Christ) in your spiritual

walk, I recommend you start your journaling at the first level. This is because the journaling

styles you learn at Level 1 will continue to be relevant as you progress to higher levels.

This isn’t any different from being a professional in football, and then switching to baseball (as

Michael Jordan discovered). Even though players in those two sports pass through a similar

process, you still have to start with the basics of baseball.


What is Level 1 Journaling?

If I could use just one word to describe this first stage of spiritual journaling, it would be

RECOGNIZE.

Specifically, Level 1 journaling is about learning to recognize how and where God has worked

with you.

You will begin to discover your strengths, gifts, and purpose by becoming more aware of patterns in your life.

You will search for insights about the spiritual meaning behind things that happened in your past.

You will deepen your trust in God by seeing all he has done for you already, without you asking.

Another way to say it is that Level 1 journaling is focused on understanding your past. This

includes what has been happening recently as well as what has happened in prior periods of

your life.

As you explore your past, you will come to recognize that God’s hand has been in your life all

along. You will see how he has worked with you, guided you in certain paths, and protected you

from harm.

You will find God “speaking” to you through your memories, experiences, and insights. Writing

them down becomes part of your conversation with God.

So now that you know the purpose of Level 1 journaling, let’s look at how exactly to get started.

Rose–Thorn–Sniff

When my two grown sons were in Boy Scouts, they had a tradition called “Rose & Thorn.” After

every camping trip, they would sit around the campfire at the “Scout Shack” and basically de-

brief about the trip. Each boy and each adult would take their turn giving a rose, a thorn, and a

bud.

A rose was something that was good about the trip. Common roses had to do with the food

(they had some great cooks) or the activity (hiking, biking, fishing, etc.).

A thorn was something that wasn’t so good about the trip. Probably the most common thorn in

our troop was the weather. We had a running joke about how they took the rain with them

wherever they went.


A bud was something that they wanted to do better next time. Like not make the youngest

scouts do all the clean-up. (Of course, that comment would be made by someone who got stuck

with all the dishes!)

For your very first stab at Level 1 journaling, I suggest a slight adaptation to the Rose & Thorn

format. I call it Rose–Thorn–Sniff.

The rose and the thorn are pretty much the same sort of thing the Boy Scouts would list: a

good thing that happened, and then a bad thing that happened (or something that you found

difficult).

The difference comes when you get to the third part. I picked the metaphor of sniffing the rose.

What you should write here is a reflection, rather than a re-telling. It’s more about the

emotions than about the facts.

For example, you might choose to write how you felt about either the rose or the thorn. Or you

might write an insight you received. Or you could write about how you would react differently if

you had a do-over.

This is the quickest form of journaling I’ve found. If you only have 5-minutes a day to get this

done, then you only have to write one sentence for each of the 3 parts. One day’s entries might

look like this.

If you really want to speed things up, you could write yourself a note when something

particularly good or bad happens, or text yourself right away. Then you won’t even have to

spend time remembering what you wanted to write at the end of the day (as long as you don’t

lose the note, that is!).

If you have more time, you could write out the story like you were sending someone a letter or

an email. In fact, you could send yourself an email if that helps you to get it done.


Remember, this is for your eyes only. So don’t worry about spelling or grammar or using

complete sentences. As long as you can read it, that’s all that matters.

The Real Benefit

Now comes the most important part: reviewing what you wrote. Pick a day when you will have

time to review the prior week’s entries. Make it the same day each week. Allow about 10 or 15

minutes to do this review.

On review day, add an additional entry highlighting progress you were proud of (the weekly

rose) and progress that was disappointing to you (the weekly thorn). Finally, add your reflection

for the week (the weekly sniff). This could be something you learned about yourself or about

God, or where you either did or didn’t act in a Christ-like way, or a situation where you

recognized God’s hand in your life.

If there is something for which you need forgiveness, pray for that. Then let God’s forgiving love

rest on you. Release that burden and resolve to become more Christ-like in the week to come.

As you continue to journal over weeks and months, continue to look back at your older entries

periodically. Look for patterns of behavior, parallel situations, or similar stories that might

provide insights into your strengths, gifts, and life purpose. And look for all the places where

you can recognize God working with you.

Work on learning from your mistakes and failures, and on becoming more Christ-like. The rough

spots will be harder to miss once they’ve been written down in your daily thorns.

As you have time, think back over your entire life and record any incidences that seem

significant. You may even want to do a Life Journal, where you devote one or two pages to each

year of your life.

As you do this life review, keep looking for patterns and clues to gain even more insight about

where God has worked with you before, along with clues to directions in which he might be

guiding you. Remember, the goal is to RECOGNIZE God’s hand in your life to this point.

What’s Next?

I hope you won’t waste any time getting yourself a journal, or picking some electronic format,

or downloading my free Rose-Thorn-Sniff journal. Then get started writing every day.

If you need a little help staying on track, or if you want to learn more, be on the lookout for my

next 4-week tele-class starting soon.

http://bit.ly/RoseThornSniffv1

http://heargodsvoice.org/learn-more/


I’m excited that you’ve decided to give journaling a try. I know it can help you to regain hope,

strengthen your faith, and increase your capacity to love, just as it has done for me.

I look forward to hearing your journaling story someday soon!

journal your way to a brighter future

Spiritual

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recognize gods hand

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orgcopyright 2012 sharon

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