As senior Abby Burr arrives home and gets ready to relax and reflect after youth group, she pulls out her usual supplies for Bible study: her Bible, of course, and paint.

After seeing posts on Instagram from a Bible journaling company, Abby immediately became inspired and knew she just had to join the latest Bible study trend.

“I started Bible journaling in January of 2016, and it’s basically just I have a Bible that has wider margins. I paint and draw and create in the margins, and it just helps me connect to what I’m reading. I’ve been doing that for two years, and it’s really helped me grow closer to God,” Abby said.

Abby was never someone who would slave over art projects for hours, but since she began Bible journaling, her inner-artist became revealed. She utilizes the Internet for painting ideas and then finds a favorite verse to illustrate.

“I do devotions with my youth group so we have a book. Each night, we’ll read through a certain passage; so that kind of helps inspire me,” Abby said. “Whenever I read that passage, I’ll think, “Oh, maybe I’ll want to document this,a�� so I can remember it. I’ll spend some time meditating on that and painting about it.”

Apart from growing as an artist, Bible journaling helps Abby grow spiritually. Because of the time she spends drawing and creating art with the verses, she feels more connected to her faith, and this inspires her to keep going.

“I Bible journal because it helps me grow closer to God. I’m spending hours in my Bible, and I’ve really noticed growth as I’ve studied the scriptures. It helps me in my everyday life because I’ve been rooted in that truth,” Abby said.

Abby also feels that by starting Bible journaling, she has been able to reach out to other girls in her youth group and encourage them to start Bible journaling as well. She helps them by sharing her paints and teaching them how to make illustrations. Abby thinks it is important for everyone to do what works for them when it comes to studying the Bible, and Bible journaling is what works for Abby.

“That makes me so happy when other people get into that because I know it’s not for everyone. My sister isn’t really that passionate about it, but she reads her bible and connects to it in different ways,” Abby said. “So it’s interesting to see people that maybe haven’t been reading their Bibles super consistently, but then when they discover Bible journaling and get super passionate about it, it really helps them connect. So yeah, that makes me really happy.”

Besides growing in her personal faith, Abby has noticed other self-improvements that she has acquired through Bible journaling. Growing spiritually and personally, she enjoys her hobby for all it has to offer her.

“It’s helped me become less of a perfectionist too, I think. At the beginning, I was like, “Oh, it’s a brand new Bible, I don’t want to ruin it, what if it turns out really bad?a�� But then as you go, you realize it’s not about what it looks like,” Abby said. “I’ve messed up so many pages in my Bible. Some of them are ripped and have dirt all over them from when I was in the woods, and it’s just a mess. But it’s not about the final product, it’s about the process of spending time in prayer with God and reading your Bible and connecting with scriptures in that way. It’s not about having a masterpiece at the end of it.”