Less-Than-Stellar Bible Journaling Pages

As promised in a previous post, today I'm sharing some of my less-than-stellar Bible Journaling pages and what I learned from them.

I tried to draw an illustration of the parable of the sower in Matthew Chapter 13 . . . and it kinda looks like a kindergarten student's drawing.

However, in the side and bottom margins, I used letter stickers and a journaling pen to record the message that I wanted to remember from a recent sermon at our church. The pastor mentioned the parable, which I've heard many times, but when he commented that it all started with the sower going out to sow, it struck me that the entire parable was irrelevant unless the sower actually went out and threw the seed. If the sower never went out, the seeds never fell in any of the four places mentioned in the parable!

I realize that might not be a revelation to some of you, but somehow I hadn't quite considered that as a main point to the parable. However, while I was drawing my rudimentary picture, I had time to meditate on and then journal the importance of this first part of the parable. So, it really doesn't matter that the drawing isn't all that great; it simply matters that I spent time in the Word pondering how this lesson applies to my life.

Another page that didn't turn out like I had envisioned was this one at the end of the book of Esther. I wanted to portray the celebration that the Jews participated in after God turned their sorrow into joy. In my mind the banner pieces would look like fancy decorations fit for a celebration in a palace, however I'm not sure I was very successful.

But in all honesty, it doesn't matter that I didn't perfectly capture the image in my head. The important thing is that I took time to create something that reminds me that God can turn any situation around, even those that seem impossible. He will make a way to turn my sorrow into joy.

And finally, I saw a sample page online that I wanted to emulate as I was studying and preparing a devotional on Love for one of my Bible Journaling Workshops. The word "love" had been painted in large bold letters across the page. I knew I would be sharing about using watercolors during the workshop, so I boldly painted the word love across the page four times and added some stamped hearts. It definitely did not turn out to have the regal look of the page I had originally been inspired by.

Yet, as I flip through this Bible, this page reminds me of how big God's love is for me . . . so big that He gave His only Son to die for my sins!

The thing I want you to take away from this post is simply that no matter what your Bible Journaling pages look like, spending time in the Word is the main thing. There's really nothing wrong with any of the pages I've shared today; they simply are not ones that I think are particularly artistic. But each one still served the purpose that is behind the Illustrated Faith/Bible Journaling movement - using our creative gifts to spend time in the Word and draw closer to Him!