"Now glory to God!
By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish
infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." Ephesians 3:20
I’ll never forget the first diary I received as a gift
at thirteen years old. It was a small green one with a little lock and key. It
was bursting with what I considered important private secrets and adventures.
It would be obvious to any reader I was more than a little boy crazy! Many
years later, while in Pakistan, I kept a journal during my first three months
of cultural adjustment there.
Unfortunately I did not continue journaling the ten years overseas. Regrettably
an unrecorded decade passed in Pakistan
and then personal and family journaling was picked up once again.
About ten years ago I decided to keep a ministry
journal. Names are not used but rather an
initial. Some information is too
sensitive to write about. Consequently
not everything is recorded, even though the ministry journal is meant only for
myself. A few days of “time out” during the last week of December are set aside
for reading through the past year’s adventures.
Reading about and reflecting on the past year has been beneficial for a
couple of reasons. First of all it has
encouraged me to see how God has steadily been at work. Sometimes when I write
regularly a fuller picture of what God has been up to is eventually recognized.
Some unhealthy thought patterns about
ministry are picked up which will need to be changed.
There have been answers
to prayer, accounts of signs and wonders and miracles, dreams or mental
pictures have been documented which have had spiritual meaning, surprising
provisions received, joyful witnessing encounters spilled out in excitement too
difficult for me to contain silently, interesting conversations written down,
prophetic experiences pondered about, spiritual battles understood better which
were fought, fears, confusion, and disappointments walked through, and
victories and failures written about transparently. It leaves me awed every
year by the time I get to the end. The journal sounds a little bit like the
book of Acts - well…,kind of. Every Christian should write their own book of
“Acts” because it really has a way of strengthening faith in God.
It is thrilling to read what God has accomplished in
the past year. I might not realize what
all He has accomplished nor remember what all happened if I had not kept a
journal. Keeping a ministry journal has
become a faith building exercise for me. One day all these journals, like
everything else in life, will disappear
but faith will endure. The journals will be left behind when I go to heaven but
not the faith which was born and cultivated.
There are three things that will endure – faith, hope, and love – and
the greatest of these is love. First Corinthians 13:13
Dear heavenly Father, when I look back on everything
you have done in my life this past year I can clearly see my faith has grown
stronger. It really has been all about YOU!
Amen and Amen.
