Its been along time since I've got my brain into gear to write a blog for our Journaling community. I'm quite comfortable writing my none journaling specific blog but I'm not overly confident writing for this blog. I am surrounded by so many massively talented artists and I'm not a natural at explaining how to do techniques, usually I just dive right in and try without giving "the how to" a great deal of thought.
It may just me but I feel that sometimes we can get too concerned about the need to be deep and meaningful, or "intentional" to use a buzz word. We feel reticent sharing something simple because we haven't spent three weeks meditating on the verse, we've just spent time in our Bible on a random verse which has caught our eye and we've "just" illustrated it.
The pages I've shared above are nothing more than an attempt to illustrate a passage or story in the Bible. My 21st Century take on the work of the monks who so painstakingly copied and illustrated Bibles several centuries ago. they are without doubt works of art, and amazingly beautiful but there are many instances where the scribe (I suspect younger ones!) have added in little personal, humorous sketches, little jokes, if you will.
I do not see this as wrong, or a "less than" way of journaling. On these pages I may not have written anything, I may not have had to read background or notes to help me understand, I've just enjoyed drawing, colouring, painting to illustrate a favourite verse. What I have done though, is spend time in my Bible, I've read a little before and a little after the verses I've represented.
I often just pick out key words, sentences or verses and write them out straight on to the page. or on top of a piece of decorated paper (yeh for deli paper and tracing paper) I spend a little more time on these because I am reading the verses searching for what I feel are the most important points for me to take away. I'm also doing this current Bible for Ben so these pages are hopefully to direct and encourage him in the future.
The above pages are the pages where I have written something which has a resonance or meaning to me. A personal response to verses which have, do or will impact my life experiences. they may take the form of "note to self" of they may take the form of writing a memory of an event in my life. They may even take the form of a prayer or words of advice for Ben (and for me)
My point is that what is important in all these pages is the fact that I have spent time in the Word, I have spent time with Father God, it may not always be deeply meaningful but is no less valuable to me, if it has merely made me pause and spend time being quiet in company with my Heavenly Father then that is enough.
Sharing the less "heart felt" pages is not shallow or meaningless, it may be that the verse you simply coloured in a few minutes is the verse one of our sisters (or brothers) really needed to hear. Sharing is not fishing for likes, its not showing off or seeking praise, it is being willing to share a small part of yourself in the hope that it will help or touch someone, or even, Praise the Lord, make someone smile or laugh.
