I’ve never considered myself to be an avid writer, but I do enjoy expressing my thoughts on paper and analysing what I am thinking. Playing music is another way I enjoy expressing thoughts and feelings I may be experiencing.

Expression is something very much innate in every human being. It is through expression we communicate our needs and wants. As a baby we cry to express pain, hunger, or attention; as a child we ask questions to communicate intrigue, inquiry, or choice; as a teenager we raise our voices to communicate disrespect, rebellion, or disapproval; as a parent we instruct to communicate care, love, and attention. Expression is at every stage of our life, we cannot escape.

Apart from our natural design to express with our body, facial expressions, volume, or voice, God has given us the ability to express our thoughts and beliefs in many other forms and mediums:

Take music for example. Our minds are constantly challenged by the mathematical genius of Bach, or our curiosity answered by the ingenuity of Mozart, or our hearts revitalised through the bitter romance of Rachmaninov.
What about visual advertisement? Though deceptive at times, advertisements communicate a false sense of need for a product, or breed discontentment of one’s material possessions, or evoke desires of wanting something they don’t need.
Has anyone considered writing? It is through writing we see the focused attention of one’s mind on a particular subject and from that attention we derive their thoughts on the subject at hand (whether good or bad). We are also informed, intrigued, reformed etc. by one’s thoughts on paper, even transformed.

Consider the Psalms. David penned desires of intimate worship for his God, thoughts of despair over his sin, fear for his enemies, and declarations on the nature of his God. We feel the emotion of his worship, we know the pain of a sinful heart, we understand his desire to know God, and we feel the fear that rises up over uncertain times. We are able to empathise and relate with David because David communicated and expressed his inner most thoughts through the medium of writing. We pray the psalms, we sing them, and we declare them and find a release for our thoughts.I want to encourage people to become writers.

Write a journal.

It is good to see your thought process over time and see how you’ve changed. You don’t have to like writing in a journal to be good at it, you need to be honest. Be honest about your thoughts and what you’re feeling at the time. Write about the day and use much descriptive words. I used many illustrations and adjectives and the whole experience really became a colourful experience for me. I found that once I wrote something down it helped me look at a situation more objective (this may not be true for everyone else).

Write your prayers.

Like the psalms, record your fears, your victories, your worship, you despair, your devotion and balance it out with a bible verse or two either from the Psalms or the rest of scripture. This will help in getting you to think biblically.

Write what you believe.

While it is good to think through what you believe and even declare it openly through speech, writing helps you make clear, concise, and exact statements about what you believe. It is harder to waffle on in writing than it is in speech (though, I waffle on in both realms :P). Having exact statements will help you understand a little better the nature of God.

Write to people.

Whether typed or written, everybody likes to receive a letter addressed to them especially when it is not the month’s bills. Taking the time to write someone will encourage and uplift others. I remember receiving a hand-written letter from my pastor, expressing his gratitude towards me. I can tell you my spirit was uplifted and I was filled with much zeal to continue on.

Write.

Writing is a form of expression, so use it to express God and who He is.

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About Apo Malo

Apo is an active part of the ministries of his church where his heart for people is clearly evident. Apo has a degree in theology and is also an accomplished musician maintaining a part time teaching studio. Apo works as a carer for Anglicare and lives in Sydney, Australia.

3 Comments

  1. Jason Harris 24 February, 2009 at 10:33 am - Reply

    “writing helps you make clear, concise, and exact statements about what you believe”

    So true. Great post man!

  2. sasha 24 February, 2009 at 1:39 pm - Reply

    You can also express your self in interpretive dance. Have you considered Apo?

    Good post though.

  3. Apo 24 February, 2009 at 8:35 pm - Reply

    Interpretive dance? I never considered that possibility. But true, dance expresses many emotions.

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