WRITING

You don't have to be Ernest Hemingway to pick up a pen (or sit at a computer) and write. Writing is therapeutic. That's why most psychologists recommend journaling to their patients. There is a power in words that is undeniable. Genesis chapter one makes the case emphatically. God "spoke" and the world was formed. In one translation it is recorded that God said, "Light Be!". In essence, he commanded the light to come into being. I think you'd agree there was power in those words. Writing down your thoughts is another way to get to know yourself. I can hear the skeptics laughing. "I know who I am already." That may be true, but there is something about writing that connects thought with reality in a very unique way. I'm not talking about sitting down and trying to write the next great novel. I'm talking about writing down thoughts, impressions, feelings, questions and engaging in a dialogue in print. Sometimes I do it with myself. Sometimes I do it with God. (talking to Him through my words on a page...it's not prayer but it's close). This kind of writing is not meant to be critical. Sentence structure, grammar and all that stuff have no place in this kind of writing. It should be cathartic, not constraining. There is power in getting things out of your head and into a form where you can look at them—almost as though you were one step removed from them. And some very good ideas, solutions to problems, and creativity often accompanies this type of writing. No one has to see it. It's yours and yours alone. "A word well spoken," the Bible says "is like an apple of gold." Who says you can't speak it to yourself?