By Catherine FranzWhether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want to add your spiritual postings in your regular journal, you will want to read this.
Personal journaling supports our development and growth. But spiritual journaling goes deeper. Spiritual writing is a reflection of our soul. Like personal journaling it too is a tool for self-discovery, aids concentration, is a safety valve for emotions, a training ground for improving thought to paper processing, and builds self-esteem and confidence.
Spiritual growth is not just about religion, it concerns all life -- time, goals, relationships, work, politics, and our inner life. Spiritual journaling is a process where
part of us that connects with God, or our higher power, expresses itself. It is a process of where selfishness can be transformed into caring, rebellion into obedience, and despair into hope. It is with this connection that personal development occurs.
Journaling is just one discipline to a greater path of grace. Prayer and fasting are
other two. This discipline is a response to grace not an alternative. It is also an adventure in joyful freedom.
Have you ever been listening to your pastor or priest and you zone out briefly, hear something profound, and then suddenly snap back? It’s there and then gone.
What about a time when you started crying and there wasn't a reason? The tears could have been triggered by words, a phrase, a visual from a conversation, television program or commercial, movie, or radio broadcast. Apparently, there was an emotional pull, do you remember what it was? Did you ever think of what actually trigger it?
It is my believe that these and other ways we receive subtitle messages, either from your inner spiritual self or a higher connection, are guidance. God and
universe talks to us all day long but because of our busy lives we don't listen very well or stop and take notice of what "really" just happened. Usually, we just push our way right though
message, shrug it off to being tired, dismiss it as irrelevant, or not having any time to address it.
But these do have meaning and it is important to record these, even if on a napkin, and spend some quiet time with them later in your journal. Then ask our higher power for guidance and understanding. When was
last time you did this? Maybe you have never asked. Maybe its time to renew
experience.