Not so random, this excerpting from my journal, because I wanted to share with all you fellow (and potential?) journal-ers the great value journaling has been to me this past month.
The word I chose for this year’s focus was “Aware,” and the most important thing I wanted to be aware of: God’s presence and working in my daily life. So that specific awareness was my January micro-focus.
What I did daily from early on was to take a moment or two each evening, sometime before bed, to review the day and note in my journal the evidences of God’s presence in it.
I soon found that often, though I’d recognized such evidence somewhere in the day, by that late time of tiredness I’d forgotten! So I then took to noting things down as soon as possible after I’d noticed them—in my journal, or in a little carry-around notebook, to add later to the journal.
This worked. And what a month ensued! As January 31’s entry testifies:
Review of January
January 31, 2014
What a fat lot of pages hold my notes and thoughts of this single month’s pilgrimage! To read through them all as I want to do I’ll need to allot some time. Well, tomorrow’s “Still Saturday,” and [husband] hasn’t done breakfast with the guys for three weeks, so I may get a chunk of Saturday stillness, and then comes a sabbath where the busy stops. Today I’d best clear up the clutter of the week’s scattered ambitions and make for an undistracted weekend. But I do want to do some of this journal review reading today to step wisely and happily into February’s pilgrimage.
I have already read the first two pages’ “Plan for 2014” [written December 29, 2013], … and I am just delighted with surprise at how much this “plan” actually happened, followed through in routines that now seem natural. This is the LORD. I’m sure of it—because I have not checked back to those two planning pages in recent days at all; my focus was, rather, on You, Lord, Yourself. (See how my words sweitch spontaneously to second person? This is what’s happening, praise God!)
-So thankful for that! Thank You, God!
-Thank You for this [additional] awareness: [that] what my body, even my mouth and palate really wanted was [healthier food than what I was about to eat]
-Three items [recorded] showed a “natural” movement in my awareness is already happening: to greater awareness [also] of what is good and prospering to the “temple maintenance” [care of bodily health] I’ve neglected far too much (a 2014 desired purpose not yet followed through on). Thank You also for that!
[Through January I also noticed this: As my consciousness of God’s presence in my days increased, an awakened awareness of my conscience, soon began automatically to follow. Being sensibly in the presence of holy, mighty, omniscient God will spontaneously bring the conscience to life, won’t it? And along with that, consciousness of His grace and forgiveness.]
How could one not be “happy in the Lord”* with these awarenesses flowing?
*[a George Muller phrase I’d quoted shortly before]
*****
Linked to
So wonderful!! I love how we can become more AWARE of His presence just because we decide to look for Him. He was always there, but your decision to LOOK made all the difference. Gratefulness makes us more thankful. Susie
Susie, it has kind of astounded me how many times even in a day I saw the evidence of His presence or His hand in things in some tangible way. It makes me think there’s so much like this going on in my life all the time that I’ve been missing because so often my mind would get occupied with “life.” Makes me want to keep after this. And you’re right. Gratefulness just snowballs!
Thanks so much for stopping and commenting.
I just love this! What a great way to note God’s faithfulness. A journal keeps you aware not just now but in the future. You KNOW i love journaling!
I thought you’d like this Lynn, the Journal Lady. 🙂 It has been perhaps my most delightful journaling adventure of all time! He is with us in so many ways, doing so much for us and providing just what we need right when we need it, yet I’m afraid most of it goes right past us–or we quickly forget. You’re right. This keeps me aware in the present, and also later when I would otherwise probably have forgotten most of it. Thanks for your commenting. Blessings on 2014 for you!
Take notice of his blessings, and yes be ‘Aware’ of his presence. Loved your post
Thanks, Hazel. It’s been a great journaling experience.
Oh, just beautiful…so happy to see you SYlvia! And is that your journal pictures? Love that it looks so full! So full of plans, graces and evidences of His presence! Proof of His garce…I like that your word Aware also reminds me of ABide. As we abide in Him we become more aware of His faithfulness…the more Aware we are of His presence in the little things the more we Abide in it! Thanks so much for linking!
So happy to be linked up, Dawn! Yes, that’s this year’s journal, started just before the new year (a few days at the end of December start it off). And yeah, look how fat the word-filled part is already! There was just so much to note down and write about! It was just a matter of paying attention, and realizing what things had to be His working, His gifts, His presence. And you are right about the way “Abide” and “Aware” feed and encourage each other!
Blessings on your new (beautiful) website!