There are many reasons you might want to discover your God-given purpose at this time. You might be an empty nester looking for what’s next, or retired and searching for new meaning, or seeking to make a career transition to start a new business or ministry.
Or maybe your heart just feels drawn to figure out your calling to make the unique difference God designed you to make in the world. Sometimes when there are so many aspects to who you are and experiences you’ve had in your life, it can be a challenge to get a clear picture of how it all connects together and what it’s leading to.
One way to gather, explore and draw conclusions from all of the puzzle pieces of yourself and your life is through Christian journaling.
What is Christian Journaling?
There are many different reasons and methods of journaling. Some people use journaling to express feelings or record memories. Others write prayer requests and answered prayers. Journals can be used to log special events in your life, or write your life vision, goals and dreams. The possibilities are endless.
Christian journaling for spiritual growth can be one of the most valuable uses for journals. You can write down meaningful verses, areas you intend to grow in your spiritual walk, what God is laying on your heart for transformation, and progress you’ve made and lessons learned.
Though you may not typically think of it this way, growing toward your God-given purpose is a part of spiritual growth. Why? Because it’s what you were made for. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) And the good works that you were created to do become one of your special ways to love others and glorify God, which are also parts of your purpose as a believer.
So in general, Christian journaling is using writing strategies to cultivate and record your spiritual, personal and life transformation to fulfill God’s purposes for you.
Biblical Examples of Writing Down and Remembering God at Work
The idea of strategically writing down important events to remember them or use them to take action wasn’t developed by the self-help industry. God knew that it would be important to record and remember how He’s speaking to us and working in our lives.
In Exodus 31:18 NIV, God wrote the law down himself: When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
In Habakkuk 2:2 NASB, God asked others to write down His vision for them: Then the LORD answered me and said, “Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, So that one who reads it may run.”
God’s people have also taken note of His works to formally remember them:
In Genesis 22 when the angel of the LORD stopped Abraham from offering his son Isaac on the altar and a ram was provided, verse 14 says, ‘Abraham named that place The LORD will provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”’
Just as Abraham acknowledged how God had moved in that moment and gave it a name, you too can acknowledge how God is moving in your life and describe what you’re experiencing in your journal – naming and describing what God is up to in the many places in your life you have walked and are walking with Him.
This practice will help you to recognize patterns and connect the dots of your life experiences and life messages to discern God’s purpose and direction for you.
How to Use Christian Journaling to Reveal Your Purpose
Even if you’re not into traditional journaling, creating a Christian reflection journal to keep record of how God is speaking and moving in your life is important. You can find creative or practical ways that work for you to take note of significant moments in your life.
In my video How to Use Christian Journaling to Reveal God’s Purposes for You I provide strategic journaling tips for Christians to gain more clarity of your God-given purpose and the direction of your life.
God has worked in your life in the past. He is still working in your life in the present. And He will continue to work in your life in the future. The Bible is a God-inspired written account of how God was at work in the past, is at work in the present, and will be at work in the future. God’s Word records His will, purposes, vision and plan for us as His people.
And God’s Word along with your fellowship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit gives you clues to your specific, God-given purpose or calling. So keeping an account of God at work in your life in the past and present, as well as writing down what’s being revealed to you about His vision for your future is important to discovering, preparing for, and carrying out your purpose.
Christian Journaling Prompts to Uncover God’s Purposes for Your Life
The information shared in my video can be used to create your own Christian journal prompts to uncover significant details about yourself, your life, and God speaking and moving in your life that will give insights to your God-given purpose. Below are some examples to get you started:
1 – God speaking and moving
What is God revealing to me at this time? What is He confirming?
What messages have other people shared with me that might confirm what God is impressing upon me?
How is God working in my spirit, heart, mind and life right now? How has he transformed me in the past?
What verses are speaking to me right now? Which ones were significant in the past?
What vision or dream has God planted in my heart that would serve others?
2 – My design
- What are unique traits of my personality? How do they contribute positively to my life and others’ lives?
What are my spiritual gifts and talents?
What are my strengths? What am I naturally good at with little effort that often surpasses the ability of those around me in this area?
What did I love to do in childhood that I still love to do now, even if I don’t always have time to?
- What do I love to do and can lose track of time doing it? What would I do for free if money was no obstacle?
3 – Clues to my God-given purpose or calling
What are some life experiences where I felt I was operating in my strengths and passions?
What lessons am I learning or have I learned in life that I have a strong desire to share with others?
What people or circumstances in the world most ignite my passion or burden my heart?
How do I usually help other people? What strengths do others recognize in me?
What childhood experiences have shaped you?
You can reveal strong clues to the purpose God has planned for your life by understanding your design, exploring the paths your life has taken, drawing out what’s in your heart, and reflecting on what God is revealing to you in your life.
If you want to explore what God is calling you to in the different areas of your life, I invite you to get my free Purposeful Living Assessment & Reflections Guide. It helps you to assess where you need to align more closely with God’s vision and plan doable next steps to move forward. And it’s a perfect guide to use for journaling for Christian growth toward God’s purposes for your life.
