Not sure what to write in your journal today? I’ve been there, too. Over the years I’ve found a few different ways to get my writing muscles moving again. Here is a list of 10 journaling prompts that you could find in my own journal (if I let you read it)!
1. Create a master list of the movies and shows you have watched and books you’ve read.
This list of stories you’ve enjoyed (or not!) will be so much fun to come back to over and over. Make a space in your journal for a list that you can keep adding to. Depending on the size of the pages, this could be 2-6 pages. You can always continue the list further on if you run out of space, but it is nice to have a place in your journal that you can revisit.
As you add to your list, you can put a little heart next to the ones you enjoyed most. Create your own little key for any symbols you may use. If you watched a movie with a friend, you could make a note of that. Add anything and everything you want – your evening tv show, youtube videos, even books of the Bible as you complete them!
2. Write about a good friend – what do they mean to you?
It’s so easy to be wrapped up with our own lives. Take a minute to give someone you love a page in your journal. What memories would be fun to revisit if you read through your journal again? I have resurfaced stories I completely forgot this way! Write about this person’s qualities and how they have impacted your life. Even if you’re not saying these things to their face, writing your appreciation for them will strengthen your friendship further.
3. What would you do if you could do anything?
Is there an outlandish dream career you’d go for? A remote location you would travel to? Would you become an astronaut? Your journal is the perfect place to let the little whispers of your heart’s desires have a voice. God doesn’t always lead us to our dream career, but he did design us with hearts that desire and dream. Be honest with God and with yourself about what you really long for or look forward to right now.
4. Write about a time you felt God leading you.
Sometimes I feel like there is a long, quiet time between those times that God seems to be working in my life. It is encouraging to remember what God has done – what did he lead you to do and how did you feel about it? What did it teach you? In what ways are you looking forward to that kind of leading again?
If God is leading you in something right now, write down what he is up to. Include the Bible verses that are speaking to you. What thoughts and feelings do you have? Are you willing and excited, or reluctant to obey?
5. Record the scripture references for your daily reading.
You don’t necessarily need to write anything else – it’s just nice to keep a record! When you look back, you will be able to see what you were reading in the Bible alongside your life events, if that’s something you wrote about. It is encouraging to see the connections between what you read in scripture and what God does in your life.
6. Write about a rose and a thorn in your day, week, or month.
A rose would be something lovely or nice that happened. A thorn would be something not-so-pleasant! This is a great place to start if you’re not sure what to write in your journal. It also is a helpful tool for journaling your prayers. You can thank God for the roses and ask for his help with the thorns. You can pick up with this after any length of time, too.
7. Keep notes on conversations so you can remember them.
So often I’ll have a really precious conversation with a friend, and then a few days later I can hardly remember what we talked about! A few years ago I started to write notes in my journal about those conversations – mostly so that I could keep track of what is going on in my friends’ lives. An added benefit is when I go back through my journal, I am reminded of the other things we talked about, too. Advice and encouragement we shared. It’s an opportunity to see where we were and where God brought us!
If you’re going to do this, please be sure that you have a reasonable expectation of privacy with your journal. Consider writing cryptically or leaving out the person’s name if there’s any sensitive information that could be damaging to them if another person found out. I have my own code that I write in for situations like that. You may just leave out the really sensitive details – those are memorable enough on their own.
8. Write about the projects and interests you’re working on.
It would be difficult to write about every single thing that happens in your life. Your personal projects and interests deserve a moment, though! Are you creating something, working toward a certification, or checking goals off your bucket list? Put little updates in your journal to help motivate you further and create a record of your progress.
The best part about journaling through your projects is that you have a step-by-step record of all the hard work that you put into it. It feels really great to look back at what you accomplished! Come up with a way to measure your progress to your goal and include it somewhere in each of your entries.
9. Write just one sentence.
If you just don’t have much to say today, allow yourself to write only one sentence. Sometimes that’s enough to get you going. Sometimes that’s all you have to write, and that’s ok! One thoughtful sentence is better than writing nothing.
10. Write with God’s presence in mind.
I’m not a huge fan of prayer journaling, currently, but here’s what I do: You can journal as though God is there with you and can see what you write – because he can. You don’t necessarily need to direct your writing toward him with every sentence like you would in a prayer journal. I see it as a place where I’m open with myself and before God, even if I’m not directly praying. It helps me relax a little more in my journaling.
Often, I do end up saying something to God in my entries. You can naturally transition to a brief prayer from what you’re writing. Or, you can pause and pray quietly or out loud. It’s sort of like he’s sitting there with you and you have opportunities to bring your thoughts to him as you put them down on the paper.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for being here, beautiful folks! Here’s a quick recap of the 10 Unique prompts for Christian Journals:
- Create a master list of the movies and shows you have watched and books you’ve read.
- Write about a good friend – what do they mean to you?
- What would you do if you could do anything?
- Write about a time you felt God leading you.
- Record the scripture references for your daily reading.
- Write about a rose and a thorn in your day, week, or month.
- Keep notes on conversations so you can remember them.
- Write about the projects and interests you’re working on.
- Write just one sentence.
- Write with God’s presence in mind.
That’s it for today! But before go, I’d love to know – do you journal? What do you tend to write about in your journal? Let me know in the comments below! And make sure to join my email list if you’d like to know when my next post goes live. Thank you and have a wonderful day.
-Almost a Walrus
