Journaling is a great way to connect with God and open yourself to hearing His voice.
Join host, Barb Roose, and Sally Sharpe, certified spiritual director, to talk through the basics of journaling – even if you hate to write things down.
Big Ideas from Today’s Show
1. Journaling helps us to slow down and pay attention to our hearts so that we can share and unburden our hearts to God.
Sally showed us the positive mental, emotional, and spiritual impact that journaling can have on us. When we slow down and unburden our hearts, we can experience incredible results including reducing stress, soothing anxiety, reducing the symptoms of PTSD, panic and addiction, strengthening our immune system, and so much more!
2. There are no rules when journaling, but there are some helpful guidelines that we can follow!
Sally shared 10 guidelines for journaling including making it part of our routine, letting go of our inner critic (you don’t even have to spell correctly!), being authentic, and keeping it private.
3. Journaling helps us to integrate our heads (minds) and our hearts, which gives us greater understanding of ourselves and enables us to experience God.
Sally explained that when we journal and write our thoughts and emotions out on paper, we are actually integrating the left (logic, reason, thinking) and right (emotions, intuition, experiences and beliefs) side of our brains together. It is then that we are able to make sense of what we are feeling and experiencing.
4. Journaling helps us to make sense of our story in light of God’s love for us, which brings emotional and spiritual healing.
As we process through our experiences and emotions, we are better able to see how God is at work in our lives.
About Our Guest Sally Sharpe
Sally Sharpe is a Certified Spiritual Director who offers spiritual direction for individuals or groups (in person and through video conferencing), as well as workshops and retreats on various topics related to spiritual practices and soul care—often utilizing Scripture, journaling, and the exploration of our own stories to facilitate inner healing. She also enjoys partnering with her husband, Neil, a licensed marriage and family therapist, to lead classes, seminars, and retreats for individuals and couples on relationships, marriage, and parenting. With thirty years of experience in Christian publishing as an editor and writer and over twenty years of participation and leadership in women’s Bible study, she currently is Senior Editor of Abingdon Women, a line of in-depth Bible studies published by Abingdon Press, where she oversees the development of both print and video resources. Sally and Neil have two young adult daughters and live just outside of Nashville in Mt. Juliet, TN.
Links from today’s episode:
Sally’s Website:
Better Together host Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author with a passion to help women live beautifully strong and courageous in Jesus’ name. She’s the author of multiple books and Bible studies, including Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus and Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle. Visit Barb’s online home at barbroose.com.
