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Journaling
Journaling is recording your thoughts, feelings, insights, and more on paper or
your computer. It can be written, drawn, or typed. Whitney (2014) reveals that
"keeping a journal promotes spiritual growth and is a valuable aid to many other
aspects of the spiritual life."1It can serve as a means for remembrance, for keeping up
with ideas that the Lord has placed in your mind for a sermon. In Rev 1:11 -19, Jesus
speaks to John, saying, "Write the things which thou have seen, and the things which
are, and the things which shall be hereafter." The Bible, within itself, is, in many
forms, a journal from God that reveals real life experiences, promises, revelations, and
commands that will help every believer persevere through life challenges on this side
of heaven. Journaling as a spiritual discipline has not been practiced constantly, but
the benefits are apparent whenever I do.
Growing up, I only paid a little attention to journaling and never liked keeping
records of things in writing because I thought my mind was shaped enough to recap
everything I needed to remember. However, after "the Life in the Spirit Program," I
discovered how journaling could help my spiritual Life toward God. Since God
speaks to us through dreams and visions, journaling is the perfect way to keep those
experiences and encounters for spiritual growth. For many times that God has
revealed something about life to me in dreams, visions, prayers, Bible study, worship,
meditation, fasting period, and silence, journaling has been the best way to remember
and keep the messages, especially when it has to do with the future occurrence or
prophesy. Job 33: 14-16 perfectly describes how God speaks to us in our dreams.
1Whitney, S. Donald, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (Colorado Springs:NavPress, 2014).
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He speaks, "The Lord speaks once, maybe twice, yet no one notices. In a dream, a
vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds,
he opens the ears of men and seals their instructions."
In Dr. Michael Whittington's Lecture Video Presentation (2015), he teaches
that as chaplains, “there is an excellent opportunity for us to grow and improve
personally and professionally through journaling as it helps us to process and preview
our events, clarify thinking, unmasked us to see ourselves as God sees us, understand
a context to pay attention to life tactics to connect with ourselves to be able to reflect
the image of God."2Regarding professional and personal growth in our ministry, the
Holy Spirit, who brings growth and maturity, gives us the understanding and
knowledge of our relationship with God so that we do not become stagnant (2 Peter
3:18). However, for us to remember and live by the promptings of the Holy Spirit,
journaling is the best spiritual discipline to adopt for growth.
Luciana (2023), in her article states that "to Strengthen Self-Reflection calls
for a Journaling that offers a dedicated space to contemplate your accomplishments,
setbacks, and lessons learned."3Regularly reviewing your entries can illuminate
patterns in your decision-making, enabling you to refine your approach and make
informed choices moving forward. Starting a gratitude journal is an easy way to
reflect on your daily wins and go to bed with a positive mindset. In this case,
journaling helps me know and cultivate emotional intelligence by
expressing my thoughts and emotions in a private space to become more attuned
2Michael Whittington, Lecture Video Presentation: Journaling Professionally and Personally. (Liberty University,
2015).
3Luciana, Paulise, The Power Of Journaling And Why It Matters In Your Career. (2023).
https://www.forbes.com › Leadership › Careers
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to my feelings and reactions. This heightened awareness improves my communication,
empathy, and conflict resolution, essential competencies for effective collaboration
in my ministry with others. Now, I am still trying to know myself by dealing with the
most private fears, thoughts, and feelings in life because I have reference notes as a
checklist to guide me.
Perseverance
It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we
seek will happen. “Perseverance means more than hanging on, which may only
expose our fear of letting go and falling.”4The spiritual discipline of perseverance
will be required and necessary because often, there will be spiritual attacks, dryness,
vocational crisis, ministerial burnout, doubts, and temptations that will come on our
way of life as ministers/clergy or Christians, and so one will need to be persistent and
trust the process in which God will require for his will to be done in our life.
Perseverance as a spiritual discipline is one of the things that most ministers
and Christians often overlook because we always want an easy way of life. We go
through our daily routines without asking, "How did I make it to the next day, or to
the next year," for that matter? This is because we have God on our side, and He has
guided, kept, and shielded us from harm and other things meant to stand in our way.
Not only has the Lord kept us and shielded us from harm and sorrows, but He has also
given us sufficient graces and blessings to be successful in our endeavors because,
without Him, we might have slipped into a depression that we battle internally. If our
hopes are experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being
4Chambers, Oswald, The Discipline of Spiritual Perseverance. (Discovery House Publishers, 1993).
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purified (1 John 3:3). Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is
noble and of God. However, one of the most significant stresses in life is waiting for
God in difficulties. When we have patiently waited, he glorifies us (Isaiah 43:31). He
brings fulfillment "because we have kept His command to persevere" (Revelation
3:10).
I often struggle with getting ministry burnt out because stretching myself to
thin just as with a lot of others who are in the clergy, but when it comes to this, we all
need to keep a certain scripture memorized and close to our hearts that we can call
upon when we feel low or feel down or even simply feel like giving up, and for me
that scripture comes from Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God".
Conclusion
According to Dr. Steve Keith in the Lecture Video Presentation states “that
ministry burnout is real and will affect us negatively unless we develop the spiritual
discipline of perseverance through daily prayer, Bible reading, fasting, and a person
we can trust to help us overcome personal sins”5. I firmly believe that journaling and
perseverance have worked throughout my personal life and ministry. Therefore, these
two disciplines will go hand in hand for any believer working in ministry and wishing
to grow towards God and positively impact the Lives of others.
5Steve Keith, Lecture Video Presentation: Journaling Professionally and Personally. (Liberty University, 2015).
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Bibliography
Chambers, Oswald, The Discipline of Spiritual Perseverance. (Discovery House
Publishers, 1993).
Luciana, Paulise, The Power Of Journaling And Why It Matters In Your Career.
(2023). https://www.forbes.com › Leadership › Careers
Michael, Whittington, Lecture Video Presentation: Journaling Professionally and
Personally. (Liberty University, 2015).
Steve Keith, Lecture Video Presentation: Journaling Professionally and Personally.
(Liberty University, 2015).
Whitney, S. Donald, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (Colorado
Springs:NavPress, 2014).
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