If you grew up in the early 2000s, there’s a chance you kept a bedazzled, bejeweled, heart lock-and-key diary that you used to write down everything you knew about your middle school crush… Don’t be ashamed – we’ve all been there! Perhaps you threw it away when you entered high school, or upgraded to a more sophisticated leather-bound journal you bought on Etsy which you use to record major life events. Whatever the case, if you’re a person who benefits from writing stuff down, then I encourage you to consider spiritual journaling as part of your regular prayer routine.
So what is spiritual journaling? Writing in a spiritual journal is a way to converse with God. It is a place for you to share with Him what you’re going through, how you feel, what you’re struggling with, and what you succeed in. If you remember that prayer is a dialogue with God, then writing down what you want to tell God is a powerful form of communication. I have filled up at least four spiritual journals in the last ten years, and I have found the practice very helpful in my personal prayer growth.
Let’s get right down to it and start with some DON’TS.
Avoid starting off your entry with “Dear Diary” because, well, it’s not a diary. Prayer is direct dialogue with God; therefore I begin with “Dear Jesus” or “Good evening Lord.” This formal address helps me to remember that I am indeed praying and not just venting about life.
On that note… It is okay to vent to God, and it’s sometimes necessary to get things off our chest, but I personally suggest that you don’t ramble on about someone or something. Why? Because if Jesus stood right in front of you, would you take up ten minutes of the conversation with an uncontrolled stream of consciousness?
Now the DOs!
To help remain prayerful and focused, I highly recommend making each spiritual journal entry be about one specific thing. Is there a particular family/friend/work situation that’s keeping you up at night? Are you anxious about something coming up? What is challenging you right now in your spiritual life? Is there a prayer that you really need God to answer right now? Let these kinds of themes and topics help guide your prayer time. Need more ideas? Google “Spiritual journal questions” and you’ll get tons of inspiration!
Do be honest with God. I’ve found that writing down what I am experiencing and how I am feeling about a specific situation can be very freeing and even illuminate things I didn’t realize about myselfves. This suggestion is not just for personal growth, but I offer it to you because God wants our true selves. He wants to be with us, and for us to be in union with Him. How can you have a deep relationship with someone if you put up walls refusing to let the other in?
The final DO is optional but highly recommended.
Consider downloading a journal app on your phone in addition to using a paper journal. Nowadays I use my journal app more than my physical journal purely for the sake of convenience. Sometimes I’ll be on a hike and want to sit on a rock and pray, or in church after Confession and want to write something to God. If you’re worried about security (especially since we’re encouraging you to be vulnerable with God), then consider downloading a password-protected journal app. There are a bunch out there. The one I use is called “Diaro.”
Spiritual journaling can be a great practical tool to enhance your daily prayer life. If you want to try it but don’t know what to write, a perfectly legitimate prayer could be, “Dear God, I don’t know what to say. I’m having trouble focusing on you because of X, Y, & Z going on right now…” God wants you to tell Him about X, Y, & Z! God wants you to feel comfortable sharing your heart with Him so that you’ll be more open to receiving His.
Hope this helps! Happy journaling!