Why I Write. And Why You Should Too.

I didn't grow up a writer. In Junior High and High school, in fact, I sometimes loathed writing. I had a journal but hardly ever wrote in it. And then in high school when we had to free write, I could never think of anything to write at all. l had the world at my disposal and usually ended up writing about soccer practices instead. (Really exciting stuff-- First we ran a few laps for warm up, then we did this one activity, then we did this other one, and oh yeah then we did another one-- I mean,  who wouldn't want to read about that?). 

One problem I had with writing was that I didn't know what to write. And the other problem was that I didn't know how to make what I was writing have any meaning or value.

Fast forward to about three years ago, however, and you would see me filling up an entire journal in a few short months. Something changed, and it was something very basic. Looking back, I realize that what let me write was letting go of what I thought writing should look like. During my two months living  in Guatemala, I realized that different people write differently, and for me, writing was more about processing the experience than documenting the entire thing. Writing a long monologue about the events in a day was too cumbersome and had little value for me. But writing about something I was learning because of that event or jotting down a few of the details was valuable. It gave me physical evidence that what was happening was real without the extra details. Saving that time meant I could begin processing what was going on.

That summer, I wrote a lot. It allowed me to remember everything I was experiencing. It helped me learn and remember the names of those ten beautiful, but seemingly forgotten orphans who captured all of our hearts. It helped me remember the different ministries we worked with. It put into writing the things God spoke to me, and the things my teammates saw in me.

I wrote down the prayers of my heart, the things I was learning and feeling, the names of the children I saw and the elderly women we prayed for. I wrote down lists of my favorite things from the trip and of what I was thankful for. I wrote down the good things I saw in each of my teammates and the bad things we were seeing out in the community each day.

It became more than just a record of what we were doing, but pieced together a story of that entire summer. Looking back at the journal now, a simple list of names conjures an entire day spent at a water park playing with those ten kids. The lyrics of a song remind me of the time we sang in an abandoned church lifting up our voices to God. I didn't need a detailed description of each of these things, but I did need some kind of note to remind me of them. 

For me, writing is valuable because...

- It makes an experience or a feeling more concrete. I am able to pinpoint what I am going through, and in turn, can process the feelings I am having and the memories that will stay with me in the future.  Writing about something allows us to acknowledge that that thing happened and can help us both understand it better and store it as a memory.

- It provides a history of the faithfulness of God. Many pages in my journals are filled with prayers and hopes that at one time seemed so huge. Now looking back at some of those things, I see how they were answered.  

- It helps me understand the world around me. Writing helps me make sense of what I'm feeling. It helps me identify how I might need to change my attitude or grow from any given experience.

In closing of this already-to-long blog...
Maybe you're not a writer. Maybe you don't think you have time for it. Maybe you've tried keeping a journal and it just seemed too mundane or useless. Maybe English was your least favorite subject in school. If this is you, I challenge you to give it another shot. Try writing for just a few minutes. My best advice is to get rid of your expectations of what your writing should look like.

Here are a few things you could try doing to get started---

1. Make a list of what you are thankful for in this moment.
2. Write down a prayer that has been on your heart.
3. List the positives and negatives from your day.
4. Copy down a scripture or quote that has meaning in your life right now.
5. Create a list of what you love.
6. Answer the question "Who am I?"
7.Write about one thing you want to change your attitude about in the upcoming week.