Journaling is something I have loved since long before I became a therapist.  I was given an assignment in tenth grade to keep a journal for one semester.  My teacher called it a “Philosophy of Life” journal.  She didn’t care what we wrote in it, but she would check periodically that we did.  That was one of my favorite assignments in all of high school.  The semester ended, my journal filled up.  

And then I got a new one.  And I kept journaling.  I’ve been journaling ever since.  Nowadays, I like to use my journal for prayers, and notes about what I’m learning, but I also do gratitude lists, and write down scripture and quotes that speak to me.

Journaling is so therapeutic if we allow it to be.  So many of my clients balk when I ask them to try it.  I know right away what they are thinking:  It’s too vulnerable and what if someone finds it.  Well, it IS vulnerable, but that’s kind of the point.  You get to say, think, and feel whatever you want about a topic.  

Today’s topic is grace.  It’s a soul-word, that  I think gets tossed around a lot, but often we don’t dwell on it.  With everything going on in the world today, and in our own lives, I think it’s a good place to dwell.  So I encourage you to choose one or ten of these prompts and just take five or ten minutes in stillness and write whatever comes to your mind and heart.  Oh, and if you’re worried about someone finding it, I’m told under the bed is a good hiding place.

1.  Grace, noun /simple elegance or refinement of movement/(in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings /verb/ do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one’s presence

2.  When was the last time you experienced grace?

3.  When was the last time you gave someone grace?

4.  “I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” – Anne Lamott

5.  “I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection.”

6.  Undeserved, unmerited, unearned.  What do these words make you think about?  Do they have a negative or positive meaning?

7.  “Grace will be sufficient for whatever lies ahead.” – Anne Lamott

8.  “Courage is grace under pressure.” – Ernest Hemingway

9.  Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

10.  His grace is sufficient. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;}

/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.

   We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */

   

Sign Up For a FREE 65 Suggestions For Self Care Printable