Good Morning Girls!  For years now my girlfriend and I have had a little obsession.  We have been obsessed with journals.  We love journals.  We love to buy journals.  We love to look at journals.  We love to run our hands down the pages of the journals.  We love plain journals.  We love fancy journals.  We have many, many, journals.  The problem is, most of them are empty.  They were bought with the intention of recording testimonies, daily manna, goals, motivational scriptures and quotes, meal plans, workouts...you name it- we've got a journal for it.  We have journals for everything.  But again, they are empty. 
Over the last two years, I have gotten over my "empty journal syndrome".  I have filled up about 4 journals with scriptures, dreams, testimonies, meal plans, workouts, goals, teaching ideas, and random thoughts (you'd be surprised at how many random thoughts one can have in a day).  I love my journals.  I love to write.  I love to sit and read the things I have written over the last two years.  I laugh at how I thought I had it all figured out at one time.  I cry at the wonderful blessings that have been poured out on me.  I cringe at the goals that I have yet to conquer.  I rejoice in the changes the Lord has made in me.  They are wonderful records of my life....of my journey.
So I was more than excited when my "journal friend" told me what she wanted for Christmas.  She wants me to write on random pages of one of her journals.  She believes if she knows there are Jen Gilbert surprises waiting for her, she will be more inclined to use her journal.  "No problem!  That is right up my ally!  I can do this for sure!"  It was the one gift I was most confident in.  I anxiously waited for her to bring me one of her journals.  She brought me one of my favorite journals.  It is beautiful.  It has scriptures written on some of the pages.  I was with her when she bought it (I'm pretty sure we laughed as she bought it).
I sat down the other day to start writing.  I was shocked to find I could not write down anything.  I had so many thoughts in my head.  I had so many quotes, scriptures, remember when moments, floating around.  But when I tried to put my pen to the page, I just couldn't write.  I was puzzled, wondering what my problem was.  I asked the Lord why I was unable to do this- this very thing that I am most qualified and excited to do.  Why in the world would I hesitate so?  The answer "You're afraid you will make a mistake.  You're afraid you will mess up."  It's true.  I stared at that first blank page and thought "what if I write the wrong thing?  What if she is disappointed?"  The thought of not getting it "perfect" prevented me from writing anything at all.
I started thinking about how so many people share this same "empty journal syndrome".  I don't mean the struggle to write things in a book.  I mean the struggle to live their lives.  So many people are so afraid of messing it up, that they simply do not do anything.  They leave the pages of their life empty.  They have dreams, goals, testimonies, and faith statements to live out- but they are too afraid to put the pen to the page and give it a try.  They spend their life reading other peoples devotionals and life journeys.  They never write their own.  When they reflect on their life's journey, they see and feel nothing but blank pages.
Ask any writer- there is nothing worse than sitting before a blank page.  Don't waste one more day with your pen in your hand- waiting to get it right, before you write.  Take a leap of faith and put your pen to your page.  The only imperfect life story is the one that is never written........

Numbers 33:2 At the Lord's command Moses recorded the stages of their journey.......

Love you all (and love having you all with me on my pages of life)
Jen