Journaling Once More

I have been journaling quite a bit since I stopped writing here. Actually, more than I have in my entire life. And it is totally changing my life let me tell you. I've decided to beginning writing new posts here again though they will all by selected writings from my personal journal.

Journaling is doing amazing things for my life with God. I think maybe this is because our lives are stories and sometimes we forget that. I mean, for most of us, if our life was to be made into a story, it would not have much of a plot. We have certain revelations and are confronted with many major life lessons time after time but we rarely change very much. We don't have an all-consuming vision that gives a plot and purpose to our lives. So the reason journaling is really changing my life is because it is a constant and daily reminder to myself that my life is a story and that it matters. It matters what decisions I make. It matters whether the lessons I am confronted with actually take root in my life. A journal keeps one from forgetting.

And it seems being a Christian is all about remembering. This is an idea that I heard from my friend Gus. I'm not sure if he thought it up or whether he heard it from someone else but it is a very central idea that runs very deep in our lives. Before the Lord's Supper, Christ said, "Do this in remembrance of me." Remember. How often do we forget though. That missions trip we took. That one time in church where we sang all those songs and cried out from our hearts to God. We didn't remember that a month later when we made out with a girl, or masturbated, or began going through whole days with all but brief thoughts of our Savior.

Journaling hasn't become something for me that is all about how I'm growing as a Christian or appearing to do so. It's become to me more about remembering. Remembering what God has done. Remembering what I have done, good and bad. Eventually I hope it becomes more about what God is doing in me. If you are thinking about starting up a journal, do it to remember. Our lives are stories and they do matter. May our journals becomes places where we are able to watch our stories unfold, become purposeful, and may they always come back to the cross. May they always point to our sin and then to our Savior who who covers them.