A Challenge of Change: Drawing to Discover



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Today is the first day of our Challenge of Change!   I am thrilled that so many have decided to join this 31-day challenge to rise each morning to prayer, Scripture, and journaling.  Wasn’t it great to see on SISTERS and through the comments yesterday the variety of Scripture that is going to be discovered this next month?

Yesterday I shared Step 1 of my “Drawing Deep” devo process.  While the first step sets the stage for the next three, it is the second step that I am pumped to share with you for it has transformed my quiet time.  Let’s break it down.

Step 2:  Drawing to Discover

After reading the chosen Scripture, I choose a key verse to focus on.  Typically this is a verse that the Holy Spirit has branded on my mind.  As only God could, this oftentimes focuses on an issue that I am dealing with in my life. 

Sometimes the key verse isn’t clear and I have to read the Scripture several times before choosing it.  Other times I choose the entire Scripture.  No matter which I choose, there is no right answer to what you choose.  What will be key for one person or time won’t for another depending on the situation and season of life in which you are in.  If you struggle, be sure to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Once the key verse(s) is chosen, I rewrite the verse in my journal (more about creating a prayer journal in my ebook).  Instead of just using letters to rewrite the words, the Holy Spirit lead me to begin drawing my verses.  Drawing the words has provided so much depth to the Scriptures.  Drawing the verses forces me to look for the key words and to think about their meaning.

Here are a few examples taken my journal.  Notice that my journal is raw and messy.  There is nothing neat about this book.  These thoughts are for me and I have learned to rid myself of having to write with a first-grade teacher precision. 

In my mind, Philippians 4:6-7 lent itself well to a flow chart.  You will notice that I use a lot of arrows, crossing out words for “no,” and boxes.  

For John 1, I used drawings around the words or to represent the words.  For example, the word “in” I place an arrow to show “in.”  Pronouns for God are always capitalized.  The word “life” is made with a tree as the “l.”  The word “people” is a stick person. 

I try to keep the drawings consistent between verses but am stilling discovering what I want to use.  As you begin this process you will add more drawings to your repertoire.  In future blog posts, you will also notice that some of mine overlap. I use boxes a lot to highlight key words or for God. 

You may look at this and see nothing but nonsense, and that is okay.  The key to this process is that the drawings that you choose make sense to you. 

No one taught me this.  It is simply something that the Holy Spirit has lead me to begin doing.  And I can’t wait for you to give it a try. 

To begin the Challenge of Change, would you take a moment to share an image of the key verse you drew this morning during your quiet time? We’d love to see how you “Draw Deep.”  Please share on the SISTERS group in Facebook or by leaving a comment below.

Tomorrow, Digging In – Taking what we just did and making it personal.