Not so long ago, if someone had suggested to me that I write in, or otherwise mark up, my Bible, I would have thought it borderline sacrilege. I don’t really know all the rules, but that seems a tad disrespectful… However, as it turns out, Bible journaling is really quite popular. (Which would be one of the reasons I’m featuring it in the journaling section, naturally.) They even make special Bibles with extra wide margins so that you can write down notes and thoughts.
After some consideration, I decided that my practice of being an active reader (I absolutely relish underlining, highlighting, and even dog-earing my books) could probably carry over to the Bible as well, and I most likely wouldn’t burn for taking a pen to The Good Book. I mean, God would probably appreciate that I’m studying His Word… Right? (I hope so anyway!)
Well, if this seems like something that might interest you, take heart that I haven’t been smote for my actions yet, and I’m pretty sure it’s okay. I don’t really make notes, but I do like to underline passages that speak to me. Although, like I said, some folks get all into it. I understand that people write prayers and thoughts in the margins, and even create color codes for various different things. If you do a quick search, you’ll find all sorts of writing utensils, various translations of Bibles with the wide margins for writing in, and a wide array of supplies. (Because goodness knows, the right pen makes a world of difference.)
Essentially, I’d say this style of journaling is a form of prayer. There’s actually a practice called Lectio Divina which this can be used with. If you’ve never tried it, I recommend checking it out, as it can be enlightening. And of course, if taking a pen to your Bible still seems wrong, you can always use a regular journal to write down the verses that you would like to meditate on.
Also, I should note that I’m Catholic so I can only speak to my own religion. (Though it’s altogether possible my priest could disagree with this post; who knows. I may ask…) However, if your beliefs are different, perhaps you could look into this style of journaling using your religious text instead – if it is not considered sacrilegious for you, that is. And if you don’t have a preferred religious text at all, then you probably stopped reading this post a long time ago, and hopefully stick around for the next topic. 😉
In all, if you enjoy journaling and have an active prayer life, you might find this practice very enjoyable. If you decide to start, or have already been doing so for some time, please let me know how you’re liking it.
🙂
