sin journal

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dove51

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Hi guys.

I learned something interesting today and wanted to share and hear your opinions on it. What do you guys think of keeping a sin journal? I believe you record any big sins in it that you struggle with, circumstances around these sins, and meditate on what you can do to improve. Sound like a good idea? I was thinking it might make going to confession a little more organized too. Thoughts?
 
dove51 said:
Hi guys.

I learned something interesting today and wanted to share and hear your opinions on it. What do you guys think of keeping a sin journal? I believe you record any big sins in it that you struggle with, circumstances around these sins, and meditate on what you can do to improve. Sound like a good idea? I was thinking it might make going to confession a little more organized too. Thoughts?
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Get a lock and key for it:D
I don’t see anything wrong with journaling like this if you write your sins witht the intention and aim of looking for ways to overcome the sins—I have done this, and it gets a little out of hand when I start just complaining about stuff, but don’t keep it focused on finding solutions or doing it prayerfully. I would suggest praying to the Holy Spirit first off, and then keeping it organized Example: first page write you sins and circumstance, and the 2nd page write about how you believe Jesus would want for you to deal with it. But that is just an example of a format. Anyways, God bless your efforts, and i hope it works out for you. I used to keep one, and I had to “ammend” my way of writing it to the way i suggested, since it became such a “bummer”—I don’t keep journals anymore, though, but it sounds like a good idea again.🙂
 
That sounds like a good idea, as long as you use it to identify the near occasions of sin that get you into trouble and don’t use it to get scrupulous or to keep punishing yourself for sins which God has already forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s kind of like when you “rehearse” different ways of dealing with a certain situation, and come up with options which might help you to avoid falling into sin. So if it works for you, go for it! I might even try this myself. 👍
 
CarrieH said:
That sounds like a good idea, as long as you use it to identify the near occasions of sin that get you into trouble and don’t use it to get scrupulous or to keep punishing yourself for sins which God has already forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s kind of like when you “rehearse” different ways of dealing with a certain situation, and come up with options which might help you to avoid falling into sin. So if it works for you, go for it! I might even try this myself. 👍
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Hey, your way sounds really good:) Good suggestions!
 
dove51 said:
Hi guys.

I learned something interesting today and wanted to share and hear your opinions on it. What do you guys think of keeping a sin journal? I believe you record any big sins in it that you struggle with, circumstances around these sins, and meditate on what you can do to improve. Sound like a good idea? I was thinking it might make going to confession a little more organized too. Thoughts?
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Well, my problem with this would be remembering all the bad things you did. This would only make you focus on them more, drawing more bad things into your life. It would make confession more organized, but I think it would attract to much negativity for me to be worth it. Why not try recording all the good things you’ve done/othe people have done for you/all the good times you have had? This is what I do. I open it each day and read something from it. It gives me an “attitude of gratitiude” to start the rest of the day. THat is what I think you should do.

Well, actually it might be okay to keep a sin journal What you couold do is write down what you sinned and then how you are going to change that in your life, focusing on the positive instead of the negative. So, if you do this, then that is a great idea!
 
Generally, the “elephants” don’t need ‘journaling’ but as a temporary measure, meditating on the precipitating factors could be useful.

E.g., if I lose my temper at a particular person or over a particular circumstance, then the discipline of analyzing the triggers could be helpful.

Just as a sidebar here, as a Convert, I prepared exhaustively for general confession, and it was a profound excavation of the sins of my past life: liberating, and fruitful. About a year later, I had to prepare spiritual biography in preparation for admission as an Inquirer in the Confraternity of Penitents. The confession and the biography were two sides of the same coin. Our sin history and our grace history are complementary aspects of our relationship with God.

So when you do your daily examen, be sure to include the graces and gifts of your day as well as your faults: keeps things in perspective.
 
I once read that Mahatma Gandhi instructed his grandson to keep an anger journal, recording the circumstances that made him angry and analyzing why they did. The grandson recommended the practice as being good training in non-violence.
 
mercygate said:
So when you do your daily examen, be sure to include the graces and gifts of your day as well as your faults: keeps things in perspective.
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I agreed. Keeping both one’s bad and God’s goodness on his journal will help us see who he is, who God is, and how God sees him.

A spiritual journal is not all about one’s self but most importantly about God.
 
It doesn’t appeal to me, but if I was going to keep a book with my sins in it I’d also keep a book and write the positive stuff down too, otherwise a person might not get a balanced view of themselves as God sees them.

In the Living prayer of my life
 
JimR-OCDS said:
If I kept a journal of my sins, I’d get writers cramp. 😃

Jim
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…oh, is that what’s wrong with my hand!!😃 …I’ve kept a daily diary and notebook for Confession for almost as long as I can remember…
 
BarbaraTherese said:
…oh, is that what’s wrong with my hand!!😃 …
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Oh heck I’d just have a checklist on the computer and tick off which of the ‘usual’ I’ve done every day or week 😦 🤷

I try to do this anyway (analyse the circumstances of my sins) without the benefit of writing it down. It’s certainly helpful.
 
LilyM said:
Oh heck I’d just have a checklist on the computer and tick off which of the ‘usual’ I’ve done every day or week 😦 🤷

I try to do this anyway (analyse the circumstances of my sins) without the benefit of writing it down. It’s certainly helpful.
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…actually I did that for a while to try and make a short way of doing things. I drew columns and on the top of each column wrote a common fault/sin of mine and the idea was I would just tick whatever applied andd the appropriate column daily. Fact of the matter is I started to wind up with too many columns across the page:D …and went back to the old way of recording…I use a samll notebook I can take to Confession with me rather than the computer…prior to Confession I make an attempt anyway to summarize…once, suffering scruples, I took a huge long list of every single sin, fault, imperfection - real and imaginary - Oh my, poor Father he was so patient with me:D …
 
BarbaraTherese said:
…actually I did that for a while to try and make a short way of doing things. I drew columns and on the top of each column wrote a common fault/sin of mine and the idea was I would just tick whatever applied andd the appropriate column daily. Fact of the matter is I started to wind up with too many columns across the page:D …and went back to the old way of recording…I use a samll notebook I can take to Confession with me rather than the computer…prior to Confession I make an attempt anyway to summarize…once, suffering scruples, I took a huge long list of every single sin, fault, imperfection - real and imaginary - Oh my, poor Father he was so patient with me:D …
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Them’s the risks of keeping detailed records of sin :yup:
 
I’d prefer something a bit more positive…perhaps a “Gratitude Journal”??
Kathy
 
Katie1723 said:
I’d prefer something a bit more positive…perhaps a “Gratitude Journal”??
Kathy
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I think it’s two sided. Practically the first words out of Jesus’ mouth when he met Jesus were “I am a sinful man.”

Knowing Him convicts us of our own sin. That is a profound grace, because when we see ourselves in truth, we are that much closer to Truth itself and we can relate to Truth with greater integrity.
 
If I had to record my sins in a journal, I would need more time in the day, and maybe a whole library of journals.
Kathy
 
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