I’ve started the “read the Bible in a year” plan more times than I want to admit. Every time, I run into the same wall: which journal do I even use? I don’t want anything irrelevant left out — I want every chapter to have room, just in case. So I sit there trying to count pages per book before I’ve written a single word, and somewhere in that math, the whole thing falls apart.
Here’s what I’ve slowly come to accept: there is no journal that works forever, because I’m not the same person I was a year ago. What I needed to write down in a hard season doesn’t always mean anything to me now. And that used to feel like a problem to solve. Now I think it’s just… true. A journal doesn’t have to last forever to be worth starting.
If you’re looking into Bible journaling for beginners, you’ve probably already seen the gorgeous watercolor spreads on Pinterest and felt a little intimidated. So let’s skip all of that. Forget the whole Bible. Forget the perfect notebook. Let’s just talk about your first five pages.
There’s no wrong way to do this
I need you to hear this before anything else: you can write anything. There’s no rulebook here, and nobody is grading your handwriting or your color choices. This isn’t a performance — it’s between you and God. You don’t have to be educated, polished, or put-together. Just come as you are, and let Him meet you in the mess. That’s the whole thing.
I say this as a recovering perfectionist. For years, I’d write my journal entries on my computer first — typing them out, editing them, making sure there were no mistakes — before I’d ever let myself write in the actual journal. I wanted it to look right. I wanted it to be worth keeping. What I didn’t realize is that the “mistakes” are the part that makes it yours.
Page 1: One verse that speaks to you today
Don’t open to Genesis 1 and start taking notes. Open to one verse that actually meets you where you are right now. If you don’t know where to start, try Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Write it out. Sit with it for a minute. That’s the whole page.
Page 2: What God already did
This one’s become one of my favorites. Write down something God already carried you through — something you overcame, even if it feels small. We forget so fast, especially now, when everything online is designed to pull our attention somewhere else five seconds from now. This page is you keeping the receipt.
Page 3: The messy, no-rules page
This page is allowed to look bad. Scribble something out. Change your mind mid-sentence. My actual first attempt at journaling was just scratches and a layout that made no sense — and I kept trying to make it perfect before I’d even let myself start. Don’t do that to yourself. A messy page still counts.
Page 4: A simple color system (optional)
If you want a little structure without a strict method, grab a few colored pens or markers and pick two or three things to mark — maybe one color for a verse that comforts you, one for something that convicts you, one for a prayer. You don’t need an expensive kit. You need a pen that writes in more than one color and the willingness to try it.
Page 5: A sticky note to future you
Remember how I said what resonates today might not resonate in a year? Write a small note on a sticky note — something you want to remember, or a prayer you’re still waiting on — and stick it right into the page. It’s low-commitment. If it stops being true for you later, you can move it, or let it go. Nothing here has to be permanent to matter right now.
If you’re just getting started with Bible journaling for beginners and five pages feels like enough for now, I made something to walk with you a little further: a free 7-day mini journal, one verse a day from Psalm 23, with space to go through it slowly. No pressure to finish it in a week. It’s just there if you want a hand to hold while you get going.
You don’t need the perfect notebook, the perfect pens, or a plan for every chapter of the Bible before you start. You just need today’s verse, and the willingness to let it be imperfect. Be still. Start there.
