Are you an avid reader? If you don’t consider yourself one, I encourage you to adopt a lifestyle of reading. Reading, for so many reasons, is incredibly powerful, freeing, and essential to your growth. And the cool part about it is you get to decide what you read–making you the primary decision-maker in who/what is influencing your growth.

So, if you do read a lot, you’re probably familiar with the practice of taking notes in the margins, right? For most of us, we picked up this profound practice from a reading teacher in grade school along the way. Others of us may have learned through another means, but I’m willing to bet most of us have some level of experience with its practice. Moreover, those of us who practice taking notes in the margins probably don’t consciously think about its purpose as we’re doing it. We simply remember it comes along with the art of reading and we’ve been told to do it. Granted, if someone asked us what the benefits of this practice were, we’d all likely be able to ramble off a few reasons.

Today, I want to talk about those benefits. However, I want us to look at a broader picture: Taking notes in the margins of our lives.

I tell my students in my classroom that their marginal notes are their conversation with the text; the fullness of their interactions with the text; the base board from which they start making sense of the text and what they contribute back to the text. In regards to our lives as a whole, think of the habit of taking marginal notes in the same way.

Events happen in our lives. People emerge one season and disappear the next, sometimes. Conversations fill our days. Relationships are formed. Transitions are made. And the list goes on–all the while, you (the protagonist of your life’s story) has the opportunity to interact fully with these happenings or not pay attention to them at all. How much of an injustice would it be if we chose the latter and didn’t take notes on the very happenings that shape our lives? And I get it, not everything in our lives needs to be analyzed or over-analyzed for that matter; nevertheless, it’s important that we fully interact with our lives on as many levels as possible.

Over the years, here are some areas I’ve found helpful in taking notes on and helping me shape my understanding of what God is doing in my life.

Many times, people allow themselves to walk through life with a passive attitude, a “Woe is me,” attitude when really we can ask ourselves critical questions that are bound to help make sense of our life’s story. It’s a matter of whether you are willing to manage the revelations God wants to give you. It’s possible and it’s powerful. Just ask God for discernment in the areas of your life so you can grow and mature in the things of God. If your head is in the clouds, God can’t use different situations to propel you to higher heights or give you insight. You have to play your part, too.

Recently, my husband and I have embraced a beautiful statement we heard Joel Osteen say in one of his messages. “Life is not happening to me; it’s happening for me.” And if that’s not enough, God’s word declares that “All things work together for good to them who love [Him]” (Romans 8:28 KJV). With that attitude it becomes easier to pay attention to the things of our lives. By faith, we begin to notice how they play a part in the bigger picture of our lives and we learn to appreciate the various seasons of life while we’re in them as God prepares us for the next.

So friends, like the avid reader you are or aspire to be, make it a habit to write notes in the margins of your lives. You’ll gain greater perspective and you’ll be able to look back on them and see God’s masterful ability in writing the story of your life.

Live Courageously,

Love Boldly,

Walk Wisely,

Mrs. Bri Walker