Journaling: The Quiet Practice That Changes Everything

Journaling: The Quiet Practice That Changes Everything

It began years ago—a simple notebook, a pen, and a longing to create space to hear my own soul. What started as a place to breathe has become one of the most life-giving daily rhythms of my walk with Jesus.

Over time, I’ve learned that journaling is more than putting words on paper. It’s a sacred pause—a way of saying, “Father, I don’t want to rush past what You’re doing in me.” In a world that keeps speeding up, journaling invites you to slow down and step into a deeper, quieter place where God’s voice becomes clearer.

Here’s what I’ve discovered along the way…

1. It deepens your walk with God.

Writing helps you focus and pay attention. It tunes your heart to the gentle whisper of the Spirit. Journaling makes you more aware of His fingerprints in your story—those subtle signs of grace that are easy to miss in the hurry of life. Ordinary moments begin to crystalize with sacred significance.

2. It clarifies what God is revealing to you.

Thoughts that swirl inside begin to settle on the page. Scripture takes root. Insight becomes sharper. Often, what feels cloudy in your mind becomes crystal clear as the Holy Spirit connects the dots and gives shape to His work in your life.

Often, what feels cloudy in your mind becomes crystal clear as the Holy Spirit connects the dots and gives shape to His work in your life.

3. It strengthens your emotional and spiritual well-being.

Journaling offers a confidential place to give voice to your joy and pain, your faith and disappointments. It becomes a trusted companion in the honest work of the soul. Like David in the Psalms, it’s a safe place to express and release to God those things that you carry heaviest on your heart.

4. It cultivates gratitude.

Looking back through old entries is like opening a time capsule of God’s faithfulness, providence, and timing. Gratitude rises—not because life has been easy, but because He has been present. Always present. Always working.

5. It tracks spiritual growth.

Over time, your journal becomes a living ledger of transformation:

• prayers offered

• prayers answered

• character formed

• lessons learned

• sins confessed

• grace received

Flipping back through the pages is like tracing the contours of God’s purposeful ways intersecting with your life journey.

6. It empowers your leadership.

Leadership flows best from reflection. Journaling allows you to process life with the Father before you step into the responsibilities of your day. It becomes the bridge between your private world and your public leadership.

Leaders who regularly process life before God carry a calm, centered presence—because they’ve done the interior work behind the scenes.

Leaders who regularly process life before God tend to carry a calm, centered presence—because they’ve already done the interior work behind the scenes.

7. It fuels creativity and vision.

A blank page is a sacred invitation. In the quiet, unhurried moments, God plants ideas, insights, and dreams that don’t surface automatically in the unrelenting pace of life. Creativity breathes in stillness.

8. It grounds you in the present.

Journaling anchors you in the “now”—not yesterday’s regret, not tomorrow’s anxiety. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.” Journaling ushers you back into that holy space.

9. It keeps you connected to your calling.

Writing each day allows you to reconnect with your Kingdom Calling—your God-given purpose in life. It serves as a daily recalibration to ensure that your outer activity is staying tethered to your inner convictions.

So what does this look like? Here are a few starting-point prayers…

• Father, as I begin this day, I want to sit in Your love—a love I don’t deserve yet deeply need, a love displayed powerfully on the Cross. For me.

• Lord, yesterday’s worship moved me to tears as we sang “Holy Forever.” I AM forgiven. I AM redeemed. Praise You.

• Father, my outburst yesterday was wrong. I confess it. Give me courage to seek forgiveness—and wisdom to understand what lies beneath the surface that needs Your work of transformation.

• Holy Spirit, I’m at a crossroads. I don’t know which way to go. Help me to discern Your will. Make me indifferent to anything but Your will. Meet me in my anxiety and grant me the peace You promise in Philippians 4.

• Father, I don’t want a sterile faith. I don’t what a check-the-box relationship with You. Reveal Yourself to me today—in Your Word, in prayer. Show Yourself to me in a new and fresh way.

• Lord, thank You for my study of Psalm 73 this morning. I needed it! I confess that I was growing envious of people prospering who could care less about You. Settle me. Center me. Lift me above the fray to see You and Your ways.

• Lord, thank You for my study of Psalm 73 this morning. I needed it! I confess that I was growing envious of people prospering who could care less about You. Settle me. Center me. Lift me above the fray to see You and Your ways.

• Lord, my heart is heavy today. Some parts of my life look different than I ever imagined. Disappointments. Meet me in this place of sadness.

• Father, yesterday’s sunrise was spectacular—Your creativity painted across the heavens. You are amazing! You are the ultimate Artist!

A Final Invitation

Journaling isn’t the only spiritual practice, but it’s one God has used again and again in my life as a looking glass—helping me see things that, in the rush of life, I would have missed. And as I pay attention, my love for Him has deepened. My leadership strengthened. My soul more securely anchored.

So here’s my invitation:

Try it for the next 40 days.
Just begin.
And you’ll discover for yourself that journaling is the quiet practice that changes everything.

Chuck Olson
Founder | Executive Director
Lead With Your Life