journaling as a spiritual discipline

In August of 2006 I began journaling regularly during my "God time" (I don't like to call it a quiet time because with me, it's not always quiet). Prior to August, my morning devotional time was somewhat sporadic. I never felt like I was in a good groove when it came to this particular discipline. I know, I know, sad, huh? A staff pastor at a large church whose prayer life and devotional time is not all that consistent. Well, yeah...I'm confessing. I could soften that statement by dumping a whole bunch of excuses as to why I was not as consistent as I should have been but those would be...well...excuses. The bottom line is this: we always find/make time for the things that are important to us.

One of the things that has helped me gain consistency in this area is the discipline of journaling. I had tried journaling in the past, but I never stuck with it. In August, at a staff retreat, Dwight challenged the senior leadership to journal for the six upcoming months--we were nearing the move to the new building...a lot was happening). He thought it would be a good idea for us to write out our thoughts, prayers, feelings, fears, etc. He gave us each a nice leather journal to help us get started.

Six months later, I'm still journaling. And, quite honestly, it's helped me stay consistent with my 'God time.' Part of the thing is: I don't want to miss journaling. I've filled half the journal so far. Mostly with my thoughts, struggles, and tons of prayers. There's something interesting, motivating, captivating about writing out your prayers. It helps me focus. It helps me stay on track. It forces me to think about my prayers. I'm glad I starting journaling. In fact, I just finished journaling this morning and then I decided to sit down and blog about it.

Now, most mornings begin with some devotional reading, prayer, and journaling (not necessarily in that order). Are there days I don't feel like doing it? Sure. But I'm sticking with it--fighting through those days...because I want intimacy with the Father. I want to know him--really know him. And I know that I'll never have intimacy with him without the discipline of having a regular, consistent time alone with him.

Do you struggle to find consistency in your devotional/prayer life? If you're like me (or most of us), you do. Try journaling. It's helped me.