Do you struggle with the idea of Bible Journaling because you are Not Creative? Whew, My hand is up there right with yours! I am not creative. People who think I am creative are confusing creativity with Attention to detail; I can follow a plan, copy a template, go step by step through instructions to make something the way I am told. The ability to have an idea, work from start to finish to bring that design to life – that creative ability is completely lacking in my world.
Why do I love to Bible Journal when I am not creative?
The discipline to Bible Journal slows down my Quiet Time with God and Grows Our Relationship
Bible Journaling allows me to set aside my Religious to do list and just sit a while with Jesus.
- I read a verse or a snippet of a passage.
- This slower pace lets me Meditate or just think about it.
- Often I will write it out in my journal (I keep a separate journal for writing out thoughts and prayer needs).
- At times I will meditate on the same verse or passage for days asking God to speak to me about it.
I love being able to take my Quiet time slowly. It allows me to focus on my relationship with Jesus rather than power through my religious goals and expectations. When you slow down and Journal through the Bible – either in writing or illustration – you get to know Jesus in ways you may have missed in the hustle and bustle of a chapter a day or an intense study.
The discipline to Bible Journal also helps me Memorize Scripture
Okay, so I hear from many of you saying you simply can’t memorize scripture. I honestly do not believe that is true for anyone. We make priorities in life and then allow them to dictate how we see ourselves. If you made scripture memorization a priority you would be able to do it! The same as you know all the names and facts about the characters in your favorite Show. Why do you know them? You make time to watch it, talk about it and think about it from time to time. Why is Scripture any harder?
Why Memorize scripture?
With technology at our fingertips, there is a nagging doubt about the need to memorize scripture. I can always ask Google for a verse about such and such. No need to memorize it! But that is a lie from the enemy!
- But when life gets’ hard and the enemy is whispering lies – if you have scripture memorized you can recognize his voice – ignore it and turn to God for help.
- There are days of sickness and struggle in my life. I need to be reminded of verses about God’s faithfulness to keep from plummeting down into Anxiety and Depression.
- When things are hard my first instinct is not to Google Scripture! I need to have it already in my head to call to memory in the fight!
Waiting until I need scripture to Memorize Scripture is a mistake the enemy hopes we all make. In the trial, in the hard, if we have scripture memorized we can fight and win. If we have not prioritized it, we fall into his trap… we fail… or I have in the past.
The area I need to focus on in scripture is Anxiety. Id’ love to give you a 40 Day Reading Guide for Overcoming Anxiety.
How to memorize scripture?
- Spend time in the Word every day.
- Who says you have to read the entire Bible in One Year? If you slow down and take it piece by piece, allow God to speak to you through it, it will become part of your thoughts.
- When a verse or passage speaks to you – write it down.
- Hang it on the wall in your bathroom so you read it every day. Who says you have to memorize a verse a week? If you read that passage every day for a month or even a year – you will memorize it!
- I love to pray that verse or passage back to God.
- Prayer is a great way to remind God of whatever He spoke to me through it. Praying scripture is so powerful and is a powerful tool for memorization!
- The last way I love to memorize scripture is to Illustrate it through Bible Journaling!
- We are such a visual culture. What I look at – and see with beauty – sticks in my mind better.
- Illustrating the Bible helps me memorize it.
okay so all of that sounds nice, but I am not a creative person. I can’t think of things to draw – or if I did think of something I can’t actually draw it! So Bible Journaling is not for me right?
Wrong! Let me tell you How I Bible Journal – and am Not Creative in my own right!
How To Bible Journal When You Are Not Creative
First, let me say I am a Frugal Jesus Girl. We live on one income and work hard to stay within it. Bible Journaling can be super expensive. Be sure to read my Tips for Bible Journaling with Everyday Things here!
Tip #1 Change your mindset: My Bible Journaling doesn’t need to be Instagram or Pinterest worthy
I Bible Journal in a separate notebook or in a Bible I do not use for teaching.  Honestly – I am not creative or talented artistically. My drawing is not Instagram or Pinterest worthy – it never will be.  I do share them from time to time though (just to be real with Y’all)...
[instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BnbI7JHHp5q]
LOL, I was home-schooled – my dad taught art and I barely made a C the entire length of my elementary education.
The reality is I will never be an artist – God made me that way and no amount of wishful thinking will make me IG worthy! That is really not the point of Bible Journaling though. These Illustrations of my faith are between God and me. So I don’t need to be talented to express a verse or passage! I just need to give God my best.
Just my best illustration as I Bible Journal is enough to help me remember what I read – helping me Memorize Scripture!
Tip #2 There is no shame in using a template when I Bible Journal
Bible Coloring books and illustrating bibles are all the rage right now. Why not buy one? Purchase a Bible Journaling Toolkit and use the doodles and margin strips in it to help you along the way. There is no shame. God doesn’t look down from heaven and mark points off your Spiritual Account for getting help in this area!
I started with the Trust In The Lord Bible Journaling Kit last year and it has literally been used to shreds. Check it out!
Not only do I love a good Tool-kit but I love Bible Coloring Books.
We started in these a couple of years ago as I began teaching my children to have their own quiet time… And Yes you can teach kids (even as young as 5 to Bible Journal! Kids naturally love illustrating things – it helps them visualize an idea so much better than a lecture. So we color our Bible lessons! Love doing this with my kids. What I found is that coloring really helped temper my Anxiety. Whew knew! The coloring is so relaxing – and coloring scripture is relaxing and a great way to help Memorize that Scripture!
Now, I can’t draw to save my life, but I can design with the computer. I created this Bible Verse Coloring Page just for you! Get it Free Below.
Tip #3 Throw perfection out to have more fun when you Bible Journal
Where I am not creative, I am a perfectionist. So when I began to Bible Journal I did it in a notebook so I wouldn’t mess up my bible. It has taken a while to be okay making a mistake in my Bible. That is one reason I don’t Bible Journal in the Bible I teach from… well that and fear of what others would say (#Truth #BeReal). There is no problem with using a separate notebook to Bible Journal.
You will make mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes. This is not about perfection it is about growing that relationship! Release yourself to make mistakes!
If you are using a Bible to Journal, create a tip-in to cover the mistake.
What is a Tip – in?
It is another sheet of paper (maybe a bulletin you took notes on or a scrapbooking page or a margin strip or bookmark) that you use to create a flap to cover the mistake. I use washi tape* when inserting a Tip-in into my Bible. It is colorful and fun – and guess what – you now have a permanent bookmark to that place in your Bible! Every time your Bible falls open to that passage you will remember it. That memory will help you memorize the passage and grow in your relationship with God!
To Conclude for the Jesus Girl who is Not Creative but wants to Bible Journal
- Why Bible Journal when you are Not Creative?
- Bible Journaling helps Grow your relationship with God
- Bible Journaling helps you memorize scripture
- How to Bible Journal When You Are Not Creative:
- Change your mindset: My Bible Journaling doesn’t need to be Instagram or Pinterest worthy
- There is no shame in using a template when I Bible Journal
- Throw perfection out to have more fun when you Bible Journal
I’d love to hear your tips or know what Bible Verse Coloring Books or Tool-Kits you are interested in.
in HIM,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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Hi, Tiffany. Love the theme of your site, and your passion for encouraging other wives and moms. Right there with you! You make me want to incorporate more drawing into my journaling. I write in a journal when I study my Bible, but you inspire me to do a little more than that! 🙂
How exciting! I believe that if we walk Step by step, only in what God has called us to do, He will bless our lives with a stronger relationship with Him. If that is drawing more – AMEN to that!
Tiffany, Thank you so much for your information and help on memorizing! I actually posted on that regarding kids and rote memorization, and found that memorizing is actually good for your brain. You are absolutely right when you state that we do what we make a priority, that’s for sure!
How exciting. WOuld you share that post here? I’d love to read it and share it with my readers Jan!
“Illustrating the Bible helps me memorize it.” I agree! I often doodle in pencil in the margins of my Bible, and it’s so much easier to find the passages I’m looking for on another day.
Yes I love that too!
I haven’t bible journaled in a while but I did enjoy it and I too am not very artistic. I need to memorize scripture, I keep putting it off. Also I wanted to mention a journal I just reviewed on one of my blogs. I think you would like it. It’s called Faith & Lettering Journal and it’s for practicing bible journaling.
Oh I saw it and it looks amazing! WOuld you share the link here for others to find it?
I love this! Thank you for sharing the picture of your Bible. That’s so close to what mine looks like it’s remarkable.
whohoo! None Creative Sisterhood unite!
My neighbor who has done ornaments for the White House invited me to come and paint with her. I told her I can’t paint I can’t even draw a stick figure. She replied with a smile….God created us all with the gift of art. It may not be the same as everyone else, but that is what makes your piece unique. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and I went and she was amazed at my talent that I didn’t even know I had. All that to say, until we try something new we will never know the gift God has given us. Your pictures are perfect!
Oh that is precious. I want to go hug her!