What meaningful things do you plan to leave for your children when you die?
Money and store-bought things can be helpful but not as meaningful as a handmade item, a video with your voice or a handwritten note from you to them.
Too many people die and leave nothing but a few pictures and random vacation videos to their children and grandchildren. Those videos are precious because it gives the viewer a glimpse of who you were. It can spark a memory or emotional response.
But does that picture or video pass down any wisdom or information about the real you? Your beliefs, dreams and hopes are the essence of who you are.
I encourage each of you to start a journal for the specific reason of passing it down to your children and descendants. Create one for each child with unique insights and encouragement.
Write it by hand not electronically. It’s a legacy item and should take time.
I also encourage you to write in your favorite Bible chapters and stories with your commentary. Give examples of struggles you overcame with God’s help. Provide reasons for the hope you have in Christ Jesus. And share your failures and God’s grace.
I have a three-page letter I carry in my coat chest pocket that my grandmother wrote to me before she died. And I have another letter of stories she wrote to me about my grandfather’s childhood. They are special because she wrote them by hand in a time when handwritten notes are far too infrequent.
If you don’t know where to start, just start by writing down the book of Mark. It’s the shortest Gospel and will help you learn to write in cursive again.
