Journaling.
My life group was talking about this a lot this past Wednesday, probably because Pastor Seth just gave a sermon on it. Not just about journaling now though, but also about looking back.
Afterwards, I also got a chance to look back, through my freshman year "dear God" journal. Honestly, it was not much different from a normal journal: most of the time, I just went on and on about my day and then thanked God and told him to bless the next.
But after reading for a while, I began to notice a pattern. I had been REALLY thankful...not just for His grace, which I didn't know much about, but simply, for people. Every single day, I generally wrote one or more of these:
1. "God, I saw this person today and I never get to see him/her! I don't know what that means but thank you for letting me see them again!"
2. "This person introduced him/herself to me today. I know you're putting them in my life for some reason...I look forward to getting to know them more."
3. "I love so-and-so! This is what they are like. [name] and [name] are really great people, and I'm going to do this for them."
4. "I get to see my lifegroup today. This is what we are going to do. I can't wait! Thank you so much for them!"
Seeing all these names and all this gratitude for them and for God just makes me want to cry.. I never thank God so specifically anymore, never pray for people I don't feel obligated to pray for as much as I used to, never take enough time to just relish how He's worked in others' lives too these days.
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39
I love God, and I love His people! BUT, love can't just be about spending time with those we're more comfortable with or praying for them only when we feel like we need to.. The world might as well come to an end if that were true. I need to be taught compassion! I lack a heart of servitude.
