Lenten Journal

Remember the story of Elijah and the tiny whispering sound (1 Kings 19:11-13)? Elijah was waiting on the mountaintop for God to arrive. There was a strong heavy wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God was not in any of them. Finally, Elijah hears a tiny whispering sound and knows that God is there.

Like Elijah, we tend to search for God in the big moments and revelations in our lives. The only problem is that our lives are made up of many more small moments than big moments. We often fail to realize that God is trying to speak to us in those small, silent moments, as well.

Lent is a time for us to reflect and renew our faith. In a sense, it is a time for us to recreate our lives by acknowledging where we need to improve. Spiritual Writing (or journaling) is a great way to help us accomplish this, because it allows us to process our day, see where God was present, and reflect on God's voice in our life.

Throughout Lent, we will be posting different journal prompts and guides to help you on your spiritual writing journey. You should expect to see these a few times a week.

Also, through the marvels of modern technology, we will be sending out messages to remind you of these prompts and to inspire you to keep journaling. You may get a scripture passage, a reflective question, or even a quote from a saint - you do not necessarily have to use the guides, they are just there to help you if you get stuck or distracted along the way.

Just because there will not be prompts everyday does not mean you shouldn't try to journal anyway. Free form is the best way to journal because it is just a dialogue between you and God. Simply pray, listen, and write whatever comes to mind.

Many other teens and Core members will be receiving the prompts and journaling throughout Lent with you, so feel free to discuss things whenever we are together at prayer, Homework Day, or other events. Just remember that when you write in your journal, you should be writing for yourself, not writing so that you can show what you wrote to other people.

So grab a journal (if you don't have one yet, just grab anything for now... then talk to Tim next time you see him and he can give you one) and a pen and get writing!

Here are some helpful things that you should remember:

1. Start journaling by quieting yourself and asking for God's guidance.


2. Don't use your journal as a diary or recording of your daily life. Rather, reflect on the situations or instances that you may have noticed God at work.


3. Simply have a conversation with God in your journal. Write about something that is going on in your life, or share your joys, desires, frustrations, angers, or fears. Write about special life events, revelations, strengths, weaknesses, goals, dreams, or memories.


4. Date your entries. You will appreciate it all the more when you look back on past entries if you know when they were written.


5. Do not worry about mistakes, spelling, handwriting, searching for the right words, etc. Just write whatever comes to mind. Even if you cannot find the exact words to express yourself, God still understands what you are trying to say.


6. Keep on journaling, even if you are going through difficulties and struggles. The entries you make during this time may be the most helpful when you look back at them. Journaling could even be one of the things that helps you get through the tough times.


7. Sometimes you may find yourself journaling for a long time while other times you may just write a sentence or nothing at all. That's okay! Remember that any amounf of time you spend listening for God's voice is valuable.


8. There is no wrong way to journal. Maybe your journal entries will look more like letters to God or maybe they will just look like random thoughts on paper or something else entirely. Write however you most feel comfortable.


9. Your journal should be between you and God. Don't write for anyone else. If you decide to talk to someone about what you wrote or want to discuss a guided journal prompt with others, that is perfectly fine, but don't write with that intention.


10. Journaling is just another form of prayer. If you enjoy it more than other types of prayer, that is okay! If you don't enjoy it as much as other types of prayer, that is also okay! However, it is always good for us to try new things and challenge ourselves because that is ultimately how we grow. Don't give up on journaling if it doesn't click right away. Give it some time and see if you grow into it.