For a lot of people, journaling seems intimidating or like something that only those perfectly organized people can manage. However, as Christians, journaling is an easy way for us to connect with God on a deeper and more personal level. I find that by journaling my thoughts and prayers I am able to really focus on my conversation with God. Putting my worries, fears and struggles down on paper and giving them to the Lord almost instantly relieves some of my burden and leaves me feeling at peace. I take comfort in knowing that I'm no longer fighting my battles on my own.
Some of you may want to journal, but don't know where to start, or get discouraged when you can't keep it up for more than a day or two. If that sounds like you, I'd like to share a method with you that I learned about two and a half years ago and have used ever since called SOAP.
1. Scripture
Pick a bible verse that you like or that stands out to you and write it down. I like to read a chapter of the bible every night and then pick my favorite verse from that chapter. If you're not sure where to start, you can try googling something like "Bible Verses For Tough Days" or "Bible Verses That Will Motivate You," or whatever else you feel like you need. If you're not familiar with the Bible or God's word, John is a good book to start in.
2. Observation
Write down your observations of this verse. What is the message of this verse? What is it telling you to do? How is it telling you to act or to think?
3. Application
How are you going to apply the message of this verse to your life? I encourage you to be specific as you can with this. Instead of just writing, "I'm going to love others" write, "I'm going to give grace and forgiveness to the person who hurt my feelings the other day."
4. Prayer
Ask God to help you live out this verse. Living a Christian lifestyle isn't always easy, but God will gladly help you and reward you for you faithfulness. This is also a time for you to just talk to God about your day. Tell Him what you're struggling with, thank Him for the good things He's doing in your life and ask for His help or guidance. He may not always answer your prayer right away, but there's nothing that's too little or too big to ask for.
I'll be the first one to admit that it's easy to let journaling take a back burner to other things. It's easy to tell myself that getting my homework done and going to sleep a few minutes earlier is more important; but here's the thing: it's not. Going to sleep earlier may leave me feeling slightly more rested, but it's not going to leave me with a sense of peace or the comfort of knowing that my struggles are in God's hands. Journaling doesn't need to be a huge time commitment. Set aside 15 minutes before bed or while you're enjoying your morning cup of coffee and spend that time with God. Those 15 minutes could be the best part of your day.