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Write to Listen | Creating Space While Your Story Is Still Unfolding · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: I want to start today's mini episode by sharing something very practical and, as usual, a little personal.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I have two journals going at the same time.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: One is a gratitude journal, and the other is what I lovingly call my How Long, O Lord journal.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Both of these journals matter, and together, the pages have taught me that writing isn't just about productivity or even about processing.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's about listening over time.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast, the Enneagram for Real Life.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Here is where you'll find conversations where faith meets story and strategy for lasting transformation.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Amy Wicks, here to help you find wisdom and wholehearted rhythms for moments that matter most.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're learning your type or deepening your spiritual formation, these conversations will remind you that the Enneagram shines a light, that Christ is the transformation.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a place where I record what I'm thankful for each day.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes it's really big things, but more often than not, it's just small, small things like a conversation that was meaningful, a moment of peace, a tiny sign of provision, and even a spark of joy.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: But here is what surprises me every time I open it.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: As I flip back through the pages or as I begin a new entry, month after month and day after day, I see things that I've completely forgotten about.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Even reflections on answered prayers that I had prayed for a long time.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And moments where God was clearly at work long before circumstances fully change, and tiny shifts that didn't feel significant at the time, but in the end, it added up to something really meaningful.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Writing creates memory, and memory is where wisdom can form.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And gratitude is a rhythm that has helped do this year after year.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now, my other journal looks very different, the Oh how long, oh Lord journal.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's not tidy, I don't filter anything that I put in there, and it's definitely not Instagram worthy.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: This journal is where all the questions go: my grief, my frustration, prayers that I am not going to clean up, and a lot of scripture scribbled in the pages in hopes that I will hang on to the truth of God's promises, even in dark moments.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: The journal is not about sounding spiritual.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's just about telling the truth somewhere safe.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes the most faithful thing that you can do is put honest words on the page instead of carrying them silently.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: You may have heard me tell this story before, but I actually have a box of old journals in my basement that I've labeled burn upon death.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, some of those pages were never meant to be reread, but I do keep them anyway.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: The idea was I wasn't preserving a moment, I was writing to release.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because writing something down doesn't mean that you're trying to keep it forever or needing to keep it forever.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes, writing down your honest thoughts is simply a way of letting something move through you instead of staying stuck inside you.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: And while I've chosen to keep all my journals and put them in a box, burn upon death, I actually know of someone who just burns the full journal after they're done with it.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, hey, talk about a full release of those pages.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: So you might be asking, based on those two ideas, why you're writing, if it's not to keep a record or preserve something.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to consider that maybe you write to notice patterns over time.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: I do believe that writing helps you see what keeps ruminating the things that are going on in your head that need a space to go to, and what's tight, or maybe even what's softening.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Writing might help you see what needs healing or where you are experiencing breakthrough.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, writing can help you see where God keeps gently nudging you or inviting you to or returning you to.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Over time, wisdom will form as you trace, record, and revisit the story, not just feel it.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And that, my friend, it does take some time.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I want to invite you to engage with writing as a wholehearted rhythm for 2026.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what it looks like or what it could like for you.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, you're not writing to figure everything out.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: You're just writing to make space, to give room, not to fix yourself, but to listen, to listen what's really going on.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, some days, or I like to practice this every day, writing and listening sounds like gratitude.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, a lot of those days, it also sounds like lament.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, both belong.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't have to keep two journals like I do.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: That was a newer rhythm that I started not too long ago.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: But both can belong on the same page, or both can belong in your rhythm.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: I believe when you learn to hold both gratitude and lament together, you'll have greater clarity and wisdom for your next steps.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about choosing either or, it's about learning to look at them together.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: I want to remind you that scripture never asks you to rush your prayers.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, if you read the Psalms, they are all full of gratitude and anguish, often within the same chapter and verse.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And James, the book of the Bible that I keep referring to in this miniseries, James reminds you and me that wisdom grows through perseverance, not shortcuts.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: And writing gives you a way to stay present long enough for discernment to take root or for you to even take notice.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you want to try this wholehearted rhythm of writing, here's just a simple place to begin.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: You might need to stop to find a pen and paper, or at least remember this the next time you have a minute to grab a pen and paper.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: As I mentioned, I like to keep one place where gratitude is recorded and another place where scribbles of frustration are safe and welcomed.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can do this in one notebook.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: You can do one page of gratitude and one page of lament.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Or you can do like I did and finally start two separate journals.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, every day you don't need to reread everything, and you don't even need to write every day.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: But you need a place that you can return to when you want and need to listen to what's really happening inside.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And that's how writing becomes a rhythm.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a task, it's an invitation, and it's creating a safe place for yourself to show up fully as you.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you want another tool or a little support in this practice, I created the wholehearted abundance journal for this kind of writing.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's slow, it's honest and enforced, and you'll find a link in the show notes if a gentle guide would be helpful.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's a space to both to remember what is good and to be honest about what is hard.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: A wholehearted rhythm of writing will help you listen, and wisdom will help you interpret what you've heard.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where we're headed to next.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: For now, remember, you don't need to capture every thought and you don't need perfect words.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: You just need a place where truth can land and where God has room to speak over time.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: May you write not to rush clarity, but to make space for wisdom as your story continues to unfold.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for joining me for the Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: If this conversation spoke to you, please share it with a friend.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can also visit simply wholehearted.com to take the free Enneagram quiz and also get your personalized podcast playlist specific for your Enneagram type.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, friend, your starting point doesn't have to be your stuck point.