Over the past year, I have started Bible journaling and have absolutely loved it. In case you don't know what a Bible journal is, a Bible journal is a hybrid diary where you keep both notes on your study of the Bible and a record of things that happen in your everyday life.
I love my Bible journal because I feel like it helps me remember Bible verses better while studying it. There’s a difference between reading and studying. Reading is simply just skimming the surface of it and studying is diving deeper into the meanings and messages. I also love my bible journal because it helps me connect my faith to my everyday life. In my personal journal, I have little tabs on the sides with words like, “anxious”, “afraid”, "happy", "nervous", etc. so that when I am feeling a certain way, I can flip to those tabs and read the verses and see what I wrote in the margins.
Bible journaling is a 50/50 shot if you'll love it or not. Some people disagree with writing over the words in the Bible, but for me, this isn't the only Bible that I read. I look in my journal for inspiration and to find peace in the words.
Here are some of my favorite pages:
These journal pages are beautiful but they are not perfect. In the inside cover of my journal, I wrote 3 phrases in a bold font "this bible is for", "this bible is not for", and "these pages may." So under the first phrase I wrote, "chatting it up with God", "coloring outside the lines", "opening up to the EXPERIENCE more than rushing to an OUTCOME" and "asking hard questions." Under the second phrase I wrote, "fear of failure", "proving how spiritual I am", and "checking off a box on a to-do list." Under the third phrase I wrote, "have mistakes", "crinkle and wrinkles", "get covered in paint", and "have pen/paint that bleeds through."
Your journal doesn't have to look like any of these pictures that I posted above. You could keep your journal simple and just focus on the words then in the margins write the verses that stood out to you the most. There is no right or wrong way to journal and that's where the freedom is in Bible Journaling.
I encourage you to start journaling because it's helped me to develop a deeper relationship with God and it's brought me a lot of peace during stressful times. I love looking on Pinterest for inspiration and I love looking at other pages because each page is personal to the person who created it. Bible journaling is inspiring!