How to declutter your thoughts and grow spiritually.
Please tell me I am not the only one who has felt the chaos that seems to flood my thoughts when difficult situations come into my life. I am willing to bet that I am not alone. What do you do when you are feeling the hopelessness and confused by your thoughts and circumstances? Counseling is a great tool (and this is not meant to take the place of therapy) but there’s something you can do that will help you feel a little more grounded and clear your mind.
Prayer Journaling helps you stay focused.
Prayer is powerful and connects you to the one true God, who cares for you. Prayer journaling helps your spiritual growth by getting your prayers on paper. For me, this means I will finish my prayers because I am less likely to get distracted. So I can finish my prayer without thinking about the dishes in the sink or laundry piling up. Prayer journaling is pretty simple and straightforward. You do not need anything special, just paper and a pen.
Prayer Journaling helps you to remember.
I find it so neat to thumb through a journal and see all the ways God spoke to me. When we are constantly going through tough times, which seems often to be the case, we can forget the ways God has spoken in our lives. Sometimes we don’t acknowledge that something we face or receive was an answered prayer because we just don’t remember ever praying about it. When starting a prayer journal you write a prayer on one page and then skip a page until you get to the end of the prayer journal. When you get to the end, you go back and write your prayers on all the pages you left blank. I wish I could remember where I heard this, because it is genius, and it allows you to read old prayers as you write new ones. One thing I love to do is write the date I received an answer from God, and compare it to the date I wrote the prayer. Don’t believe God hears you? Try this!
Prayer Journaling helps you to believe you can trust God.
As you begin to record your prayers and see the way God answers them, it will become clear how many of your questions about God are answered. There is an ease that comes out of this relationship. Through the written prayers, it becomes evident that the conversations are not one-sided. As the relationship grows, so does trust. Prayer Journaling Helps you to declutter your mind. As I was going through therapy, my counselor told me that women process by talking. Just being able to hear myself talk about things that I was facing helped me to process what was going on. I processed situations this way, my thoughts and feelings, and my fears. Fear was a big struggle of mine. I worried about everything, and sometimes still do. As I learned to write my struggles down, I became more aware of what was going on inside of me. As I wrote my fears and struggles didn’t seem so gripping, so hopeless.
It can seem all too easy, but your prayers are heard. God still works miracles. No, this doesn’t mean we get everything we ask for. Sometimes, the answer is still “no”, or “not right now”. This is a great way to help get you back on the right path, taking little steps with God every day, and learning to trust Him.
Please be aware that prayer journaling can upset an abusive partner. If it is not safe to keep a journal then please don’t. God hears silent prayers just as easily.
This is not meant to take the place of counseling. If you feel suicidal, reach out to someone for help. The suicide hotline is 800-273-8255. If you need help because of a violent relationship, the Domestic violence hotline is 800-799-7233.
