Your Faith Biography

Cross Burst by Billy Alexander (FreeImages.com)

Part 7 in the Journaling toward God  series

We explored three creative options in Part 6. This time we have one structure to look at – and only one – because of its prime importance to our spiritual growth toward God.

One approach to describing journaling is to explain journaling as a way of writing the story of our life journey with God, bit by bit, as we live it. A faith biography includes God moments of conversion, renewal, and healing when we felt close to God. In our faith biography, we memorialize those God-moments of closeness to God. We can add daily life applications gleaned from Scripture.

To write an effective faith biography, you need facts and clarity about your life so far. First list bullet points of chronological events of importance in your faith bio. You can break them down in five-year periods. Baptism as an infant begins the faith biography of most Christians, followed by other sacraments and the significant ways we’ve connected with God through the Body of Christ.

Know your story

Start your chronology with your baptism and continue through the sacraments you have received. In these and other significant events, note the high points, the holy moments that brought you closer to the Lord. Then contrast these moments with the unholy moments of disappointment and disillusionment when you felt far from God.

When you study your chronology of God-moments (or Galilee moments as Pope Francis called them) you are ready to write your faith bio. Begin with a description of who you were before you believed in God. Then comes the most important part: what happened to you that convinced you to make a commitment to believe, convert or be renewed. What was that first defining moment when you knew that God was real, and that he loved you? Mark that with a star. That’s the most important experience. Focus on that God-moment that changed you.

Third, who you are now. A faith biography contains many scenes to show how God has worked in your life. It continues to record your testimony of God’s love and mercy long after your initial commitment to him.

Three questions

These three components of your story, as with every conversion, reversion, renewal, healing, or miracle story, can be clarified by journaling the three questions you ask yourself:

1. Who were you before your conversion, reversion, renewal, healing, or miracle happened?
2. What God-moment changed you? Was it a sudden thunderbolt or a gradual awareness of God’s love?
3. Who are you now? How has your life changed?

Take your time reflecting on your faith journey, where it began, how it came alive and grew strong with difficulties, victories, and miracles. Where did God take you and where do you believe he is leading you?

I found that faithfully keeping a spiritual journal keeps me always ready for any opportunity to share my faith story. And ready to give the compassion and mercy of God to others. Knowing my faith story puts me at ease in opportunities for one-on-one every day evangelization.

Ask Yourself: What is my faith story?

Read the series: Journaling toward God

Next in the Journaling toward God series: Part 8: Make room for God.