Each one of us has a story...
Every day we are "writing" that story in the way we live our lives.
Some days we do better writing than on other days...
Unlike an author that writes with pen and ink, or even types, we cannot throw what we have written away...or what someone else has pushed in and written what they willed on our story
Over the course of time, our skills improve.
We meet people who help us along the way.
People become a part of our story whether we invite them into it or not.
Challenges, joys, griefs, fellowship, laughter, dancing, births and deaths;
mistakes and successes; transformations and inspirations....
All are transcribed on the pages of our lives...
The good parts; the painful parts; the parts we regret eventually...
Everything is there - nothing can be thrown away or erased...
But there is another Author. The One who has written upon all of history.
When we submit our "manuscript" to Him, and let His careful eye read;
He doesn't erase. He doesn't reject. He doesn't throw away.
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| 2 Corinthians 3:3 |
He rewrites. He writes over the places that need help. He writes over the pain and mistakes and regret and doesn't remove their fact...
By His writing, He redeems our story.
Nothing is removed - it is reframed and written by the Author's hand to reflect what He knows is true.
And as He writes, a miracle occurs...
We begin to see as He does, and we begin to co-author our stories with His...
Just as in any good story, there is a beginning, a climax, and then the end...
Between the beginning and the end, there must be a conflict...
Healing Art/Healing Journaling Prompt
(Please read through the entire entry before you begin. This will give you a better experience as you will know what to expect as opposed to 'just winging it'!)
In my last post I shared a spontaneous journaling piece I had done that morning. As I was writing that blog entry, I remembered this technique I had tried several years ago, journaling on top of journaling to make interesting marks on art...I don't believe I ever published anything with it, as I was still practicing - I still like the look of it - and the idea of "abstract journaling" comes to mind...
Supplies:
Prepared art journaling page or plain journal - even just a sheet of paper of choice
writing tool
a Bible
Step 1:
Prepare to write. Close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly three times. Still your mind. Ask the Lord for His Presence and guidance for this prompt. Pay attention to what comes up in your mind: is it an image; words; an emotion felt even in the body? Jot down 3 - 5 words that will help to remind you of what came up at the top of the paper or journal you have with you.
Step 2:
Using free writing (quickly writing the stream of thoughts and ideas flowing through your mind without regard to proper grammar or punctuation), write the words that come to you concerning the topic found in Step 1. You might want to set a timer for around 5 minutes for this portion, so you don't get bogged down in possible negative thoughts or memories. This is just a suggestion, not a hard, fast rule! Remember that healing art is supposed to be fun!
Once written, do you need to step away for a few minutes to ground yourself or regroup? You can drink a cup of tea or coffee, take a short walk, move around for the duration of a favorite song or two. These activities help to get you "out of your head" and into the present.
Consider if you want to do the next part of this exercise now or wait a while or even wait till tomorrow. Any decision is perfect for you - and waiting may give you more time to 'hear God' for His promises and purposes and healing words for what you have written. You may want to take time to search the Scriptures for specific verses that apply to what you have written (trusting that the Holy Spirit will "illuminate" the one's He specifically is leading you towards)
Return to your journal entry and begin to write over the top of your previous writing any words, promises, quotes, verses, etc. that you believe the Lord is saying to you about the topic. You can write in any direction! For my piece, I turned my original journaling upside down and then wrote over the top of it. I got some nice upstrokes and downstrokes over the course of my page using this method. Write as much as you like. If you run out of new words to cover your original writing, just begin to repeat until all of your original entry is covered. Or, if you have more new words than old, you can stop when the old is covered OR begin a third layer of writing! Fun! And the Lord may speak something to your heart about these layers covering your original!
Step 4:
Add extra embellishments if you like. I noticed swishes and dots (from dotting my "i's" and "js", and I had space to add embellishments and liked the way it turned out. (Plus, it gave me some additional practice with my dip pen!)
Step 5:
You might want to do a little reflective journaling about what you learned through the process. Consider documenting the words, scripture, quotes and promises that you used in your overwriting to keep them as a legible way to remember what God has written over your heart!
Need some ideas for God's promises?
Check these links:
Promises that speak to fear and anxiety
Promises that speak to worrying
Promises that speak of God's love for you
Promises that speak to times you feel overwhelmed
Promises that speak of God's compassion and mercy
Promises that speak of His constant presence
Romans 8 is a tremendous chapter of the blessings we have because we are God's children.
And finally, a list of "I am" through the promises of God verses (also known as our identity in Christ)
Blessings!
Cindy
