by Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer

I love the written word. Christian faith is founded on the Word, the logos, Jesus Christ. From the beginning of the Bible to its very end, God chooses both historical actions (such as the Exodus deliverance and Jesus' incarnation) and words to express His values, His ethics, His perspective, and His plan for our lives. Baptists, in particular, enjoy calling ourselves "people of the Book." We submit our lives and our hearts to those words that express the divine intention. We read the Bible as we read no other book, for we believe every word is inspired by God so that we might know the truth, grow in grace, and draw closer to our Maker. Written words count. And it was the Judeo-Christian understanding of revelation that inspired the world to understand that words matter and that we must pay attention to them.

Centuries after the Bible was completed, Thoreau beautifully described how important words and books are to the reflective person:

"A written word is the choicest of relics . . . Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. . . Books speak to us about truth and mercy, about beauty and challenge, about our lives."

A spiritual journal is a special kind of book which encourages us to encounter truth, mercy, beauty and challenge in the light of our ongoing personal relationship with God. Christians are called, I believe, to journal, for in journal writing the power of personal reflection that Walden represents can be available to each and every one of us. We all have a word to share, an idea to ponder, and a thought worth considering and remembering. Edna, a member of my former church, Seaview Baptist, was a participant in the Monday afternoon ladies' class. She began to journal in response to a series of lessons I gave on this discipline. Since then Edna has filled a number of books filled with her reflections. When Edna writes to me, she says "The thing I learned most from you and the greatest gift you ever gave me was the call from God to journal."

A journal is not the same thing as a diary. A diary records events and our reactions to those events. A journal calls us to record not just events, but insights about life and about our own journeys. It takes us beyond our personal feelings and self-discovery so that we might consider the journey themes God has ordained for our lives. A spiritual journal does not center on us, but rather on God's grace and presence as He guides us all through life. God’s invitation to journal, therefore, is not merely an exercise in personal self-expression, but rather a call to prayer and dialogue with Him regarding why He has placed us here on earth.

There are many instances in Scripture of journal writing (Psalms and Proverbs both represent this kind of writing), but one of the earliest is Exodus 17. During Israel’s battle against the Amalekites, God invites Moses to journal about the day's events. Moses does not just record the events and feelings ("We won. It was tough but we did it."). He seeks to understand the event in light of God's guidance. The Israelites carried the day only when Moses was able to keep his hands raised (with the assistance of Aaron and Hur). The lesson we receive is that the battle was not won because of the military strength of the Israelites; in fact, the Amalekites force was probably superior both in training and in armament. The battle was only won because of God's power working through God's people. Moses memorializes this insight by building an altar, which he names "The Lord is my Banner." In this one particular incident, God teaches the Jews a lesson for the ages. So that it would not be lost, God commands Moses to write this insight down so that future generations (and specifically Joshua, the next commander and chief) might ponder its wisdom and implications in light of their own journeys.

Second, journal writing helps us remember how God has guided our past journeys. Remembrance is a key in celebrating God’s continuing and purposeful presence in our lives. God is regularly teaching us lessons, speaking words of wisdom to us, and manifesting His presence in our lives. Unfortunately, our minds are not able to remember everything God sends our way without assistance. Something that impresses us so deeply today can easily become a faint memory tomorrow and be forgotten completely next week, as new events rush into our lives. A spiritual journal is a treasure because once we have committed words to paper or computer screen, the recorded insights will be there tomorrow for us to review. Henri Nouwen, in his Genesee Diary, writes:

New insights from past journeys can lead us into new journeys. God can set the stage for our new journeys through the journal writing discipline by giving us a new understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. This principle means a great deal to me because it relates to how Endless Possibilities came about. In a journal entry dated July 16, 1982, I wrote down for the first time the outline of how God guides us through our journeys. Over the course of an hour or so, I wrote about the five phases of the spiritual life: the unconscious journey, the call to service, the conscious journey, the death experience of phase 4 and the subsequent renewal which in turn sets us up for new journeys. It all that came to me in one day and I responded by writing it in my journal. I had no idea on July 16, 1982 that this journal entry would morph into one of the two recurring themes of my Christian life and would actually provide me with the focus of pastoral, teaching and spiritual direction ministries. All I knew then was that God had spoken to my heart. I return to this journal entry every couple of years because it reminds me that Endless Possibilities emerged from my ongoing dialogue with God about what it means to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. It is the fruit of prayer and reflective journal writing in response to what I sensed God was saying to me.

Fourth, we journal to recall journey wisdom collected over a lifetime and pass on our reflections to others. Journal writing helps us gain, retain, and share sound spiritual journey insights. A journal is a perfect device for preserving both general and specific journey principles and advice. In Proverbs 1-9, a father and mother (presumably royal) share general spiritual journey principles with their son, who is preparing to embark on life on his own. They say to him, "Seek wisdom throughout your life. Don't surround yourself with evil people. If you befriend righteous people and marry a godly woman, your journeys will be blessed by God." Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon toward the end of his journey, contains a great deal of general journey wisdom. The last twenty chapters of Proverbs are a collection of specific journey insights gained through the inductive examination of daily life. Year in and year out, Solomon and his fellow wisdom seekers collected pithy little statements (proverbs) like "the fool says in his heart that there is no God" and "treat a king well and you won't get into trouble" so that later generations might journey more successfully. I believe our current Gospel of Matthew is based on Matthew's journal notes written throughout those three years when the disciples journeyed with Jesus. And we, centuries later, profit by reading the spiritual journal of Matthew.

When I was preparing to go to Myanmar (Burma) in 1997, I re-read Thomas Merton's Asian Journal. There are pages in this book that make me feel like Merton was writing not just for himself but about my own personal aspirations, hopes and dreams. He understood things I needed to learn so that I could be ready for my own journey.

How then do we journal? Here’s some advice that is simple and practical.

First, we should resist the pressure to write lengthy journal entries. A common mistake we make when writing a journal is to imagine that we have to fill up many pages with our words. Lengthy entries require lots of time to execute, and after a short while we accordingly surrender to guilt and utter discouragement! Recognizing that it is satisfying to complete a page, I make sure my journal pages are small in size. We mustn’t succumb to the pressure to write more than is necessary to convey your insights. The new Endless Possibilities Course Book (which soon will replace the original Journal/Workbook) will respect this rule on its Exploration Exercise pages.

Second, we do not have to write in our journals every day. When I first began journal writing, I thought I had to journal every day. Many people feel the same way and that's probably why most of us don't journal. Then I realized that God never said that we had to journal every day. Unless you're the compulsive kind of person that likes to journal daily (or have the depth and talent of a Henri Nouwen; see his last book, Sabbatical Journey), there's nothing in the Scriptures that say you must. I also have found in my 30 years of being a Christian that I don't have enough wisdom to write something significant every day. I would rather journal ten times a year and have ten significant entries than to journal 365 times a year and only produce ten significant entries. I find that when God teaches me a new lesson, it often takes me months to be able to crystallize an idea that's worthy of being written down and remembered. New insights take time to work themselves out. As a result, I only journal when I have something significant to share with my soul and with God.

Third, we journal more comfortably in some journey phases than in others. I’ve noticed that my motivation for journal writing is loosely connected to what journey phase I am experiencing. I prefer to journal during phases 3 (journeying toward a known goal) and 4 (reaching the goal), but not during phase 1 (preparing for a call). No doubt this is because I enjoy writing about what I understand rather than speculating about the unknowns of life! Our motivation to write often depends on how one’s personality and interests intersect with the demands and issues of the journey phases.

Fourth, we should focus our journals on a specific journey rather than on life in general. Henri Nouwen’s The Genesee Diary is a journal written over seven months while he was in a monastery. He begins it on the first day he arrived, and he ends it the day he left. After the seven months, he was done. The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton was written over the course of a few months as he traveled in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. If we base a journal on a particular journey, we have a natural beginning and end to our writing.

Fifth, focus on how journey events and milestones reveal individual and recurring journey themes. This is how we make our writing a spiritual discipline as opposed to simply keeping a diary. When writing about events, look for links to other events and thematic connections. Focus on the flow of the journey and situate events according to the journey phases. Ask appropriate questions about those events and draw out what they represent. Seek to understand the logic of the journey (its phase progression). For example, if a milestone takes place in phase 1 of a journey, it makes great sense to focus on how it prepared you to receive God’s call. New insights will surely flow when the questions you bring to the table are based on where you are in a particular journey.

Sixth, journal writing requires honesty. Henri Nouwen gives us a great example of this when he writes:

"The whole afternoon I was struggling with the old question, 'why didn't I really enjoy the work in the monastery and why did I want to go back in my books to read about the spiritual life? Is selecting stones in the creek bed not the best spiritual life possible? Why do I always want to read about the spiritual life and not really live it?"

Similarly, Simone Weil, in her journal, Gravity and Grace, writes:

"Writing is like giving birth. We cannot help making the supreme effort, but we also act in like fashion. I need have no fear of making that supreme effort provided only that I am honest with myself and that I pay attention to what God is saying."

 

Consider where you are in your journeys. Could it be that God is calling you to journal about one or more of the journeys you are currently living out? Or perhaps there is a recently concluded journey that can serve as a fertile field for reflective exercise.

As I complete this article, I am looking forward to my upcoming summer sabbatical in Israel. I can’t help but think that God has some new lessons to teach me! It’s time to write another journal!