How to Journal Through Hard Ministry Seasons

Have you ever sat with your journal open, pen in hand, wondering where to even begin?

You know you need to process what you’re feeling—maybe to release some tension, maybe to seek clarity—but instead you’re stuck asking yourself, “How do you journal when you don’t even know what you’re feeling?”

That was me, not long ago.

I remember sitting at our tiny kitchen table after another Sunday that felt more like spiritual triage than ministry. Someone had made a sharp comment about my husband’s sermon. I had smiled politely through the sting.

A new visitor had needed someone to pray with her, and I had stepped in while my heart was still heavy from the first conversation. Then someone noticed I wasn’t wearing makeup and asked, “Are you tired?”

I wanted to laugh and cry all at once.

By the time the day ended, my soul felt bruised. I brewed some tea, grabbed my journal, and sat in the quiet.

But when I opened the page, I hesitated.
What do I even say?
How do I journal through this kind of ministry weariness—the kind that doesn’t even have a name?

That night, something shifted. Not in an instant, but as I slowly wrote one sentence… then another… I started to feel the fog lift. The tears came. And with them, healing.

It wasn’t dramatic, but it was holy.

And it’s that gentle, grounding practice that I want to share with you today.

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How Can Journaling Help You in Hard Times?

Journaling isn’t just about recording your day.

It’s a sacred invitation to bring your whole self—unfiltered and honest—into the presence of God. Whether you’ve journaled for years or you’re just learning how to start journaling, this practice can become a quiet place of refuge and renewal, especially during hard seasons of ministry.

Ministry life often pulls us in a dozen directions. People expect us to be strong, present, prayerful, discerning, encouraging, and endlessly available.

But where do we go to unload the burdens? Journaling becomes a place to lay them down without judgment.

When you understand the importance of keeping a journal—not just as a diary, but as a tool for clarity, reflection, and worship—you begin to see it as part of your spiritual rhythm. It’s where we meet God in the mess and remember who we are in Him.

Let’s look at some practical, soul-anchoring ways you can use journaling to thrive even in the most difficult ministry seasons.

Be Honest (Even When It Feels Ugly)

One of the most healing ways to journal for mental health is to stop editing yourself.

You don’t need to sound spiritual or poetic in your journal. Neither do you need to filter your emotions or only write down verses and victories. This is your space to be real.

Write the raw thoughts. The “I’m tired of smiling” and the “I don’t understand why this hurts so much.” Let your pen hold the weight you’re carrying in your heart.

David did it in the Psalms. He cried out in frustration, grief, confusion, and deep hope. Your journal can become a space where you talk to God the way David did—open, aching, and unafraid.

Journaling tip: Start each entry with this phrase: “Today I need to tell God…” and let it flow from there.

Write Scripture Into Your Story

If you’re wondering how to journal Bible truths, try weaving Scripture into your own thoughts.

Take a verse you read that morning and reflect on how it speaks into your current season. Maybe you read about Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4. How does that speak to your anxiety this week?

Write that down. Respond to it. Talk back to the Scripture in your own words.

This simple act not only roots your emotions in truth, but reminds your weary heart that God is present in your story.

Journaling tip: Try “scripture reflection journaling”—write the verse at the top of the page and respond to it like a letter to God.

Use Prompts When You Feel Stuck

There are days when your mind goes blank. You want to write but don’t know where to start.

That’s when journaling prompts are a gift. They gently open the door to your heart and invite you to explore what’s underneath the surface.

Here are a few that have helped me:

“Today, I felt closest to God when…”
“Something I’m carrying that I haven’t told anyone is…”
“Right now, I need God to remind me of…”
“If Jesus sat with me today, I think He’d say…”

Journaling tip: Keep a small list of prompts in the back of your journal for days when words don’t come easily.

Create a Journaling Ritual That Feels Like Rest

How you journal matters just as much as what you write. You don’t need to carve out an hour (unless you want to!). Even 10 minutes in a quiet spot can become sacred.

Choose a time that works for your rhythm. Light a candle. Make tea. Put on soft worship music.

Let journaling feel like exhaling—not another item on your to-do list, but a practice of release and renewal.

Journaling tip: Set a timer for 10 minutes and just let yourself write. No pressure to be profound—just present.

Use Journaling to Celebrate Small Wins

Hard seasons can make it easy to forget how far we’ve come. But when you start journaling daily, even briefly, you begin to notice little moments of growth, joy, and answered prayer.

Write down when you had the courage to say “no” without guilt. When someone thanked you for your kindness. Or when you laughed again, after a long stretch of heaviness.

These entries become spiritual memorials or reminders that God is working, even when things feel slow or unseen.

Journaling tip: End each journal entry with a “Today I’m grateful for…” sentence—even if it’s just clean laundry or a quiet moment on the porch.

Journal for Therapy & Emotional Healing

If you’re walking through grief, burnout, or conflict in ministry, journaling can be a form of self-care and gentle therapy.

Writing helps you process emotions that don’t always feel safe to say out loud. It helps untangle thoughts and reveal patterns. When done consistently, it can help you calm your nervous system and restore clarity.

This is one of the most powerful ways to journal for anxiety: it becomes your safe place to unravel emotions without fear of judgment.

Journaling tip: Try this therapeutic practice: write a letter you’ll never send. To someone who hurt you. Maybe to a season you’re grieving. To your younger self.

Look Back and Remember

The beauty of journaling is that it creates a trail of faithfulness. When you’re in a new hard season, you can flip back and read what God carried you through before.

The entry from last month where you wrote, “I don’t know how this will work out,” becomes a testimony when you see the outcome later.

It reminds us that the same God who was faithful then will be faithful now.

Journaling tip: At the start of each month, re-read your entries from the previous one. Look for evidence of God’s grace.

A Gentle Word Before You Go

If ministry feels heavy right now—if you’re tired of smiling when you want to cry, or pouring out when you feel empty—I want you to know this: You are not alone.

You’re not failing. You are growing through a season that is shaping your calling in deeper ways than you can yet see.

Learning how to journal through these hard seasons won’t fix everything, but it will create space for healing, perspective, and peace.

It will help you breathe again.

It’ll remind you of who you are—anchored, called, and held.

So pour a cup of tea. Open your journal. And just begin.

You don’t have to write anything perfect. Just something honest.

And if this encouraged you today, would you pass it along to another ministry wife who might need it too? We’re not meant to carry it all alone. There’s room for both of you at the table.

With gentle grace,