Feature Friday: Give Me Jesus Journal

This is kind of a 2-for-1 Feature Friday because I am highlighting a product from an amazing company/ministry.

Well Watered Women is a company I found through Instagram. (Have I mentioned before how many awesome people and companies I've found on that app? I love it!) Their heart is to help women get into the Word of God on a daily basis because they know that we can't do this life without Him!!

They have Bible studies and Scripture cards to help you with memorization and, if you follow along on Instagram, they post meaningful content that always encourages me in my day.

I'm only featuring products that I personally use and love, so I'm going to focus on the Give Me Jesus Journal. Another lady that I follow uses it and she'd talk about it on her IG stories and on her blog and I was intrigued. I was also coming out of a really hard season where I just did not want to read my Bible. There was a day I remember where I had gotten it off the shelf and put it on my stool so that hopefully I would actually do it. I stood there and stared at my Bible and in my head, the conversation went something like this:

"You need to read your Bible."
"I know. I just really don't feel like it."
"But you know it's important."
"Yeah, I know."

I literally stared at my Bible and couldn't not make myself pick it up. Sad, I know. Eventually, I shared my struggle with some friends and we started reading the Bible together and discussing it on a group text. That helped tremendously to jump start me back in. I needed accountability and structure. The friends were the accountability and, after I got the GMJJ journal for Christmas, it became my structure.

Each day starts off with a place for you to write out what you are grateful for. Then there is a space for a reflection of sorts. I usually write in that at the end of my devotion time something that stood out at me from what I read. The main section is just lines for notes. If by some chance you run out of space, there is a section in the back of the journal for "notes" and I've spilled over into that before.

At the end, there are two sections: What Did I Learn About Who God Is? and How Does This Change The Way I Live. See, they want to change the narrative about Bible study. We don't study to learn about ourselves and "how to apply it to our lives". Yes, there are things we are supposed to apply, but the Bible is a book about God, not us. We study to learn about Him and in learning and knowing Him, we are changed and learn about ourselves.

Then there is prayer space. Again, there is a separate section in the back for prayer requests, but each day gives you an opportunity right in the main part.

This book has been super helpful for me in starting a real "study" journey. I'm able to make connections between chapters and really read the words better. When I do my devotions with the GMJJ, it usually takes me about a half an hour. Some days, I just read a chapter and don't take notes. Some days I still don't do any devotions at all. It's a process and I'm getting better at it.

The other day, I woke up and I was struggling to align my thoughts and not focus on things I knew I should not be focusing on and I knew I needed my time with God. Some days I want to or really need it, other's I'm letting my actions guide my feelings. The journey continues.

I'm going to link to the Well Watered Women website and specifically to the Give Me Jesus Journal. They actually just updated it with some brand new features that mine does not have! If you want to follow them on Instagram, they are @wellwateredwomen.

---