When I was in grad school one of my classes had us do this exercise. I found it so helpful and insightful that I thought I’d share.

First take a piece and draw a large rectangle, covering most of the page. On the left side write, “born”, and on the right side write, “now”. Then by the top of the left vertical line write, “good”, and on the bottom write, “bad.” Now, plot your life up to this point. You can start by making dots representing the major high points and low points of your life. This can include things that happened to you, or in general, periods of your life.

Here’s what your initial graph should look like:  

After you fill out your graph, ask yourself the question, “How has God worked in my life?” As you look through your experiences, are there any themes, or places where you especially felt God workings as you look back? 

Here’s what a finished graph can look like: