I have liked the idea of a prayer journal for a long time, but haven't ever felt like I used mine successfully. I occasionally write prayers in it, which can be useful, but writing down what I need to pray about hasn't helped as I don't remember to refer to it. Finally, as I contemplated how I could better communicate with Heavenly Father in the morning when I feel like I'm semi-incoherent, sometimes fall asleep, and rarely wake up grateful, I took to researching routines and prayer journals and I came up with a plan to try. I'm on day two so you can just realize that I don't exactly have a long history of success! Two days is better than zero though, and some good conversations with my sisters have helped me come up with things I want to find a way to add.
So first, I had to give in and set my alarm for earlier. No! Don't stop reading now! Maybe you wouldn't have to do that! I just could not figure out another reliable way to get some undistracted, uninterrupted minutes. Second, I started trying to find a good wake up song. My sisters helped me find some good songs, and I know some, but my mood isn't always the same and so the last two days I've just asked our Alexa to play hymns that came to mind. I've found good versions of a couple of hymns I love that way!
Finally, out come the scriptures and the journal. The idea I got from Pinterest (yes, I'm still a fan), was to:
1. Start by writing 5 things to praise God for along with the scripture references. This is a good exercise as it reminds me that God is smarter, stronger, more powerful, and more loving than me and that He cares about His creations.
2. I am to list five things I am thankful for from the day before. This morning was one of those nice days when more things kept coming to mind -- so I didn't stick to 5 and could have written more.
3. I am to confess. The person on Pinterest said to be specific. Not just confessing gluttony for example, but "I ate 5 pieces of cake" or whatever the real thing was. She said to confess 5 things too I think, but I just try to contemplate anything I might need to confess from the day before.
4. Repent. The idea here is to look at the things I confessed (or you because, no offense, I'm probably not going to write mine on here!) and decide what can be done to turn back to God in those areas. For example, If I confessed to eating 5 pieces of cake, I would repent by deciding to take care of the body God blessed me with better and not going crazy with the cake eating -- and maybe even eat a vegetable or two!
5. List 5 people, things, or situations that you can use help with that day. I like this because it gives me a purpose of the day. Which 5 things should I ask for guidance for and focus on?
6. Turn my day over to God. Let Him have my time and add to or take away from my 5 things as He sees fit. This requires listening for thoughts and ideas that may be inspiration and then following through.
7. My sister Jenny has a favorite quote. It goes, "When the mind is still, the soul speaks." She takes time every day to meditate on the fact that she is God's child. He knows her and loves her. She takes the time to feel that love. This is the part I need to make sure to add. Doing the above things, especially one and two, help me to feel God's love for me, and (with my whole 2 days of trying), this way of starting my morning has given me a focus and a purpose and the chance to contemplate better what I can do to better give my life to my Savior who gave His life for me!
*The Pinterest Post was by "Farm Girl Journals"
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