Why write a spiritual memoir? Beyond writing about one’s life for popular acclaim, what is the motivation to explore and document the journey? In a fast paced, give me satisfaction NOW society, the invitation to reflect and share about the meanings and motivations for living has great appeal. What connects us all is a desire to feed the deep hunger for something more. Spiritual memoir offers us a venue for feeding that hunger, in ourselves and for others, making the writing and reading of spiritual memoir compelling. As we journey, we discover that things aren’t what we thought they’d be: the high power job doesn’t bring us the anticipated happiness, our kids aren’t the worldly success that we expected, the marriage hasn’t filled our need to be loved, and friends and fame have proved to be less than enough. Once we come up empty we seek new possibilities that promise to fill our hunger for something more. The chance to give our lives new meaning, and the chance to bring that fulfillment to others, are chances worth taking for seekers who have come up empty. Those taking the chance that spiritual memoir might be the thing to fill them back up again is growing exponentially. Greatness, education, financial success, and notoriety are not the common threads that connect those that share their journeys. The forces that drive the spiritual autobiographer are needs. The need to give our lives (and the lives of others) meaning, the need for something greater than ourselves, and the need to be loved, forgiven and understood are just a few of the needs driving the spiritual autobiographer. The spiritual act of writing and sharing the journey is achievable for anyone with the need and desire to achieve it. Being a spiritual autobiographer is a spiritual act meant to be practiced by more than just a select few. If you have the desire to write and share, consider writing your spiritual memoir. You just might find yourself in the presence of something greater than yourself. If you’re breathing, you’re on the journey and you have a story to share. Not all spiritual memoirs will reach a vast audience, but their voices can still be heard and their impact can still be made. Consider the impact of sharing your story with a small group of friends whose lives are forever changed by what you share. Imagine the power of offering your spiritual memoir to just one person, at just the right time, reigniting hope, and altering the course of their life. Ponder the influence your own story can have on your own life: offering you a fresh perspective, revealing your hopes and dreams, and uncovering the desires of your heart. Contemplate spiritual memoir’s possibilities for yourself and your world. Do you have a story to share? Are you willing to take a chance that your life might have an impact? Let this blog be a place to sort out your thoughts about sharing your story. Let us know what you think, and you’ll have taken your first step towards sharing. Who knows what might happen because you took a chance and shared!
Written by: journeyoncanvas
10/05/2010 5:27 AM
Journey on Canvas Blog: A Place to Share Hope on Your Journey
Journey on Canvas is a spiritual autobiography and spiritual journaling site. The Journey on Canvas Blog will give you ideas for your spiritual journal and give you opportunities to share your spiritual story. This blog is also a place to find hope on your journey. Read, blog with me, and enjoy!
Tears for Dancing, Age 42
The older I get the less I think about what I can get out of this life. Bad things happen here on Earth and no one is immune. I see my parents suffering, I watch terrible things happen to my friends and I see catastrophic events that create hell on Earth. Revelation 21:4 promises that someday God will wipe every tear from our eyes and the old order of things will pass away. I’m beginning to think that this promise isn’t so far away: it’s just waiting for us at the next stop. Maybe when we die we trade our tears for dancing and enter Heaven. Until then, I'm going to paint, I'm going to write, and I'm going to share when I find hope in this life. That's why I'm here at Journey on Canvas.