She had picked up my journal! I couldn’t believe it, but then again I knew better. Of course this would happen. I had left my journal on a small table next to one of the sections of our couch because I had been using it during my quiet time with God that morning, but I forgot to put it away back in my room. I wasn’t really expecting company anyway; I forgot that some of my housemates had invited friends over to cook dinner and spend some time together in our apartment, and I only joined them to taste their Asian dishes and play a game of Uno with them.
However, from past experience I should have been prepared that our Asian friends would read anything that has English on it. They read it because they can (and because they are curious). So, here they were flipping through my journal, the one place where I can feel the freedom to express myself unhindered. I usually reason with myself that no one will ever read it.
Instead of getting flustered, I realized here was my chance. I launched a conversation about journaling. “Have they ever done it before?” “Well, it’s kind of like a diary, but it’s not. It’s a little different.” I flipped open to the first page and showed them how I use the journal to talk with God. Every issue in there is direction to Him, and to prove it, I pointed to the first entry where His name was at the top of the page. I continued to share about how so many times He answers when I call to Him, how He gives me peace in His presence as I spend time with Him, even when life’s storms are raging all around me. I shared how God over and over again shows me how much He loves me.
These two girls had never written anything to God before, but they told me this was a good habit. I know it’s much more than a good habit, and I’m hoping that these seeds (new ideas about spending time with God and personally interacting with Him) will soon start to sprout and bear fruit in their lives. Pray with me that these girls will think about what their own lives would look like if they could really be honest with someone about things that happen instead of trying to rely upon their own strength. Pray with me that they can find a place in His arms, that they too can experience a resting place, a shelter, His comfort, His love for them!