Does your soul get a chance to enjoy unfiltered soul conversation?
I love to write.
It’s not because I like to hear myself talk.
I write to discover what it is I really think.
For better or worse, I’ve learned to filter my words before I speak.
It’s a good thing — the practice of seasoning our words with grace to others.
It’s self-control.
But, there’s a line between being wise with our words and hiding behind them —
because we’re afraid to express our true feelings.
because we struggle with being needy.
because we don’t want others to think we are needy.
So, we filter our conversations, but we’re left with the emotional and spiritual grinds in our soul.
This is why I write.
I write to keep it real.
I write to shake out soul grinds in front of God, one sentence at a time.
Somewhere between the first word I write and last word I end with, my voice emerges and so does God’s.
I hear my true voice —
The girl that laughs loud and isn’t shy about being happy.
The woman who thinks things through too much and feels them deeply.
The poet who sees art in everyday life and wax sentimental.
The child who is never short on questions and always looking for re-assurances as much as friendship.
…
Writing Becomes a Prayer
Everyday, a different part of our soul emerges as the day brings us through different experiences. We encounter a conversation, a book, a song.
If we dare to give ourselves the space to let our soul speak through words, we can encounter God.
Writing becomes a prayer.
We allow ourselves to be vulnerable.
Writing becomes a soul conversation.
Dare To Have a Soul Conversation
If you enjoy this self-discovery that inevitably leads to God-discovery, I want to encourage you to have an unfiltered soul conversation.
Take some time write a journal entry.
It can be any piece of paper.
It can be on your computer.
It doesn’t matter if you just write this one time.
Share what’s on your heart.
Write a letter to yourself.
Write a letter to God.
Whatever you do, write honestly and keep it real.
Let’s Journal Together
If you would like some company as you journal, blog with me here at Faith Barista.
It’s called our weekly Faith Jam.
Readers who have shared their stories — their as-is reflections on their faith journey — have created a grace-filled community here.
We value being real. And it’s very powerful.
It has literally changed my life — sharing one post at a time with the Faith Jam community here.
Every Thursday, I put out a writing prompt.
Everyone who feels inspired writes their blog post on the topic and we link up the following Thursday.
Tomorrow’s 10/20 topic is —
Complete this sentence and share “In God’s heart, I am ___(fill in the blank)__”.
Click here to grab the HTML code to place in your post. It’s an welcome sign for others to join.
Be as creative as you’d like. Approach it any way you want.
Writing together is soul feeding enjoyment.
We swap our stories because we believe they are worth living.
As is.
Unfiltered.
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Do you like to write?
How does it feed your soul?
Pull up a chair. I love company and enjoy hearing your thoughts. Click to share a comment.
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** Don’t miss! ** If you are new to Faith Barista, I’d like to invite you to join me on my journey this month — 31 Days to Feed Your Soul. Click to subscribe by email and get each post in this series served up hot and fresh directly in your mailbox.
To catch up and read all the posts in this series —
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13 Comments
Thanks for the reminder and the encouragement. I’ve been blogging for awhile and occasionally have shared my deep thoughts and heart on things the Lord was doing in me. I had started to share more, but then suddenly it felt way to vulnerable and scary to share with the unknown blogosphere..so I pulled back. But there is something to writing your thoughts out, and sorting out what we think and God’s voice. I’m not sure what thoughts I have yet on “in God’s heart, I am…..” but I will think about it this week. Who knows what will come out…:)
I love this post because it resounds so well with my heart! God has given me an itching pen ever since I first learned language! He has used writing and journaling as a way for me to talk to Him (and listen), learn who He is, learn who I am, and challenge myself. Writing requires a certain amount of transparency toward oneself; it keeps us honest with ourselves doesn’t it? 🙂 And pray-writing or pray-journaling is such a great way to remind us of how God has worked in the past, and it testifies well to how He is continuing to work in the present. It can even teach us a thing or two when we find ourselves in a pickle 🙂 Thank you for this post Bonnie!
OH how I love to write. And it’s so soothing when I do. I love to see what I’ve learned from the Lord as I write it out as I usually end up with so much more than I thought I had at the beginning of the piece. I wish I had more time allotted to write. I am readying “Doing Life Differently” By Luci Swindoll and heart-heart-heart the fact that she has space after each chapter for you to reflect, sometimes prompting questions.
Thank you for the inspiration and reminder. I’m going to pray about more time for writing!!
I love to write like you say, Bonnie. To hear myself think. Sometimes, to pour out bad words, mad words, to keep from spilling them all over another person but to lay them out before God, to see if all of what I am feeling is true, and to ask him what to do. Other times, to write a praise, to put down a line which might turn into a poem or a story…that’s joy writing there. But writing a blog, that’s been a new venture for me, and keeping up with 31 days has been good-hard. I often fight the feeling that I am not writing well, that others are so much better…and come back to your posts and Holley Gerth’s that encourage me to write my own self down, nobody else can do that even if they can write “better.” So then I pray, and post. Thank you for being one of the leaders of my writing venture!
I so much appreciate the words you wrote about what writing does. You could have said so many other things, and it was what you said that really struck me so beautifully:
“I write to shake out soul grinds in front of God, one sentence at a time.
Somewhere between the first word I write and last word I end with, my voice emerges and so does God’s.
I hear my true voice –”
For me, writing is so honest. It is my heart. And most of the time I can sense what’s in there, but it isn’t until the writing is laid out there that I *See*.
First, I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and often have tears in my eyes when I do so. They’re good tears though. Thank you for sharing yourself so authentically.
Second, I’ve had a journal of sorts for several years and I’ve greatly enjoyed pouring out my thoughts and feelings when I wasn’t able to unload them any other way. I struggle to find words to say sometimes but they nearly always come out when I just sit and start writing. Funny how that happens, isn’t it?
Soul Conversations are important to have! Thanks for the reminder of this!!! I totally forgot about the jam session tomorrow. I’ll have to think about it some more.
“I write to discover what it is I really think.”
I really like this. In fact, I love this whole post. It’s nice when folk read my blog and comment, but it is in the writing and thinking thoughts into being and coherency and sense that is important. Thank you, Bonnie!
I could have written much of what you said in this post. Sometimes I can’t get what I really think to come out verbally, but it comes out on paper.
Really like your series…sort of late in the game, but I”m bouncing around!
Writing to hear our true voice…to keep it real…unfiltered soul conversation. Your words are so beautiful, filled with grace, and so motivating.
As for the FaithJam…thank you for hosting it and inviting us all to be real. It’s playing a huge part in my becoming and discovering. I’m making so many friends here and finding much encouragement.
Bonnie, thank you for so wonderful post.
I love to write too.
I write to unveil my soul.
It allows me to be authentic with myself, with God, and with others.
I write to reach the world for Jesus, one word at a time…
I wish I had the journaling spot you have in the redwoods. I have to drive a 100 miles to see tall trees and a forest. There is something very peaceful and refreshing when one goes into nature to be with God. I know because I have done it and it’s a great spiritual boost. But you are right about filtering and we can only have a truly unfiltered conversation with God and our journals.
There IS something special about writing the words out on the page. The pen and paper make a difference. And yes. Between the first word and the last (sometimes it takes pages to get there) I find my voice. And His.