Day 5-How I Jump Started Enjoyment

This journey to finding enjoyment really began a while back, when I read this blog post on Emily P. Freemans blog.  Emily P. Freeman wrote what has proved to be one of the most painful yet enjoyable reads of my year thus far, Grace for the Good Girl.  Painful in it's troweling of my heart and psyche,  enjoyable to find out what was stunting my growth and joy.  Don't let that scare you, go read her book. 

I started following her blog soon after that, and read this post on what is called The Morning Pages.  In case you are too lazy to hit the link and read the post yourself (which is a bummer because it's much better than mine),  morning pages are sitting down first thing and writing three pages of longhand, any-thing-that-comes-to-mind thoughts, sort of a clearing of the cobwebs.  Don't freak out about the first thing in the morning thing, Jesus won't be mad if you try something new and the morning pages people won't come after you if you do it after devotions.  I find that it really helps me focus on my devotions, having cleared my head of the clutter of yesterday and pressure of the coming day.  The point of the pages is writing for no other purpose, for your eyes only, and for me, the joy of writing.  

Emily and I struggle with the temptation to make the morning pages about something, for something.  But in making it my purpose to just write, there is much profit for me. Sometimes I write prayers, sometimes I rant, sometimes I just wonder and wander.  Sometimes what I write is spiritual, sometimes it's about football and drift cars and babies.   I don't do it every day right now, though I try. Occasionally they are the afternoon pages, or the evening pages, or the once a week because I can finally think pages.  As one who likes to write I have discovered a ton of enjoyment in this practice, and it has rekindled my creative thinking process.  I'm not sure to what degree it has made those things better, but it has made them breathe again.  

If you don't enjoy writing or journaling, maybe now is the time to try this, just to see if it produces a new spark.  If it makes you want to set fire to something, that's okay, let it go.  But maybe just try to unload your thoughts on paper, knowing that no one  will read them, no one will judge them, and you can trash them when you're done if you want to.  Journaling, or writing down my thoughts about what I read in scripture is one of the most profitable things for my understanding and retention of the Word, if you struggle with that, this little exercise may change that for you.  And you might like it, who knows if you don't experiment a little? 

If your thoughts are like a ping pong ball ricocheting around an empty dumpster, morning pages are a good place for them.  Once the ball is out of the dumpster, it's easier to be filled with the Word and the Spirit, creativity, purpose, and enjoyment. 

Jump start your enjoyment by trying a new way of doing an old favorite!  









 

Comments

Ycottage said…
Great idea----I'm contemplating it. I love you give permission to trash as soon as you write. There would be days I would do that!!! I mostly love that you are writing again!!!
Ycottage said…
Great idea!! I love that you are writing again----and enjoying it!!

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