When I take things for granted

WHEN I TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED

Journaling helps me look seriously within. 

I learned long ago that journaling can be quite uncomfortable at times and can hurt deeply at other times. 

Goodness, that sounds awful. So, why in the world would anyone want to torment themselves and journal? And, who would be insane enough to do it for over thirty-three years? 

I cannot help but get a smile on my face. You know, the smile you get when you know a secret others might not know. However, I will let you in on the secret. 

I used to stop journaling when things got uncomfortable. I would wait a couple of hours and then try to journal again. I only wanted to journal what made me feel comfortable. This was a big mistake.

The biggest mistake, however, was how when life and journaling got too painful, I would stop journaling for days and sometimes weeks... and a few times for months. This was a major no-no. I know that now. 

Here is what I know:

Life is never fair. It never has been and never will be. 

Most of life is uncomfortable.

And, a great deal of life is painful. 

If we are going to avoid thinking, discussing, or journaling through the challenges of life, the uncomfortable times, the seemingly unfair times, and certainly the painful times, then guess what? We will stop living. Moreover, our journaling would be a lie and only of the happy moments. We would live in denial and would live and journal a fake life... a untrue life... a rose-colored glasses life... and a lie...

The only way to deal with anything that brings us discomfort or pain is to deal with it so it does not deal with us. 

Let me rephrase that.

We must deal with the yuck or life or it will deal with us.

Who has intelligence? The situation or us? 

The answer is simple and obvious. We are the ones with intelligence. If this is true, and it is, why would we allow any situation to deal with us? Don't we have the capacity to deal with the yuck, with the stuff? 

When we journal through and about everything, we become healthy individuals. Healthy physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, financially, and spiritually. This is the sweet nature of journaling. 

When we deal with our stuff through journaling, we eliminate excess baggage in our lives. Then, without that extra weight, we free ourselves for more good in our lives. We free ourselves so we can hear God more clearly. We free ourselves so we can offer more to our family, friends, and work. 

This is the beauty of journaling.

This is what makes journaling so sacred. 

This is why everyone should journal. And, this is the reason why I should journal full-time. I want o keep my life free, and leave more room, for blessings in my life. I do not want to be weighted down with my stuff. I want to live a sacred life, not one that is bogged down by excess baggage. I want to live a life of blessing, not of stuff I have not dealt with fully.

(Photo and image credit: Stacy Duplease and Remembering Your Present, LLC 2016.)