Touch the Future: Journal!

 “One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.”

Psalm 145:4

My Journaling Story

        Ever since childhood I’ve enjoyed jotting down random thoughts, emotions, experiences, and poetic attempts. One would think I’d have a fine collection of journals gracing my shelves by now.  Regretfully, that is not the case, for while I love to write, I’m organizationally challenged and many of those special pieces of my life have been scattered and lost.

        When my children made their grand appearances I knew I had to be more diligent to write down and keep EVERYTHING concerning their childhood, so I purchased three journals - one for each child.  Eventually,   I also I began a file folder of all the interesting stories and written “tid-bits” that blessed my life. Later, I felt convicted to keep a “Blessings Journal” of the miraculous ways God is at work in my family’s life.  I’ve also accumulated a number of meaningful cards and letters over the years. Though I had good intentions, the upkeep of all those paper treasures was burdensome. Every time something monumental or meaningful happened I spent valuable time and energy searching for the correct journal to record it in.  And though the “tid-bits” and meaningful correspondences were easily dumped in a file or box, it was too much trouble looking for them, so they and their joy stayed hidden away.  Many inspirational thoughts, wonderful ideas, and meaningful happenings have been lost through the years simply because I was overwhelmed and couldn’t keep myself motivated. 

        A breakthrough occurred when our family went overseas on a two year mission adventure; I knew I needed to keep a record of that epic journey also, but weight and space limits made simplification a necessity. I purchased a thick, wire-bound notebook containing pockets to take with us.  It wasn’t pretty, but it was functional.  Everything I wanted to keep a written record of went in that one notebook.  “Everything” included:

1.    General happenings & special events

2.    My thoughts and feelings on those general happenings & special events

3.    Miraculous ways God blessed our family

4.    Cute things the children said or did

5.    Childhood milestones

6.    Inspiring quotes from various sources including books read or speakers  listened to

7.    Sermon outlines with special meaning

8.    Bible verses of particular significance

9.    Prayers and answers to them

10.           Poignant song lyrics

Each entry began with the date and some highlighted cue word as to who or what that particular entry was about. It was that simple.  (Why didn’t I think of this before?) Instead of keeping up with multiple journals everything went into one, and though it took six years to fill that one book, I did fill it. (And can still find it!)  Since that method worked so well I’ve recently bought an even thicker (and prettier) journal in which to record the special happenings of my life. 

Dear Reader, You may be a more seasoned and better organized “journal-er” than I am.  If so, I’d love to hear your ideas!  If you don’t keep a journal I want to encourage you to do so and to offer some simple ways to organize all those “scraps” that comprise the fabric of your life.

(c) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2005

Why Journal?

        If you haven’t already caught the journal “bug”, you may be asking, “Why should I?” Here are some great reasons:

1.  It’s therapeutic. Our journal is a safe place to rant and rave, dream, grieve, and expound on the meaning of life. Writing things down often puts things into perspective.

2. It is a disciplined way to reflect on and cherish the moments of our lives.  Busyness pushes many pearls of wisdom, grace moments, and learned lessons to the back of our minds where they gather cobwebs and are quickly forgotten.  Journaling forces one to reflect on and savor life, God, family, friends, and the things of true value.

3. It’s a gift.  How I’d love to take a peek inside the life and faith of my grandmother or great-grandmother! (Or grandfather!)  Unfortunately all but one of my grandparents are dead, and as far as I know none left written accounts of their valuable life experiences.  Those treasures were buried with them. Taking the time to write down the seemingly non-important is really a gift for the next generation.

4. It’s a legacy.  Our written journey of faith touches the future.  This hit home a few years ago when my husband gave me a new leather-bound copy of the Study Bible I love so much.  My then 12 year old daughter, Cassie, asked for my old paper back copy.  Later she made comments about some of the things I had underlined!  She was discovering things that were deeply important and meaningful to me.  I’m sure we had discussed most of them before, but it was more personal for her to see the actual words God had spoken to my heart.  It was a peek into the marrow of my spiritual life.

What a legacy of faith we leave future generations when we not only write down special verses, but what God said to us through them!  Our children need to see our struggles as well as our victories, how God brought us to where we are, and our dreams for being more and more like Jesus.

5. We are commanded to remember and not forget what the Lord has done.  (Psalm 103:2; 1 Chronicles 16:12; and Psalm 77:11)  Let’s face it, the best way to remember something is to write it down and keep it in a special place.  When we are discouraged, depressed, or feel forsaken it helps to go back and see God’s hand on our path.  We’ll be reminded that we’re never alone.

6. We are commanded to teach them to our children. (Psalm 78:1-7 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9)  Journaling doesn’t take the place of verbal instruction; it just puts what God has taught us into writing for future reference.  A written account can be passed down through multiple generations. The reach of our influence is increased many times over through journaling.

7. God gave us an example.  Deuteronomy 10:2 tells us God wrote[1] the Ten Commandments on tablets, Luke 10:20 says those who are saved have their names written in heaven, and the NIV[2] contains nine references to the Book of Life[3].  God thought it important to pass His words down from generation to generation in writing.  He even writes down our names.  Though our words are not as important and powerful as His, they have deeply significant value when they point to Him.

Note to young people:  You may feel some of these don’t apply to you, but you may have children one day.  What a precious gift it would be to let your children read details of your own childhood and your perspective on events they may be reading about in their history books!

Note to the childless: Don’t think your life’s journey is unimportant simply because you don’t have children of your own to share it with. Nieces, nephews, friends, pupils, etc. can all benefit from a record of your life and walk with God.

How to Kill the Journaling Experience J

1. Make sure your journal is hard to open and won’t lie flat.  Struggling to keep it open will take your mind off any meaningful thoughts.

2. Make sure your pen skips when writing, or that it makes annoying noises as it moves across the paper. This will create extreme frustration causing the “journal-er” to quit in mid-paragraph (maybe even mid-sentence or word).

3. Make sure both journal and pen are difficult to find.  Keeping them in separate places not easily accessible will quickly divert attention from the task at hand (which is to journal) to whatever distraction is lurking between the “journal-er” and her supplies.  (i.e. dirty glass to go to the kitchen, pair of shoes to be returned to the bedroom, gum stuck on the carpet, children/spouse asking questions,  etc.)

4. Journal in a central location where you are easily available to everyone and everything coming through the house.  The frustration of constant distraction is enough to kill even the most valiant attempts to journal.

5. Set unrealistic goals.  Go from never having journaled, ever, to recording every single event and thought of the day.  This monumental task will so overwhelm the “journal-er” that she will give up the first day.

6. Mourn missed journal entries.  Feeling guilty about all the wonderful parts of life not written down will either (1) cause the “journal-er” to attempt retro-recording all her life events which will become burdensome (see #5), or (2) cause the “journal-er” to say, “I’ve missed so much; it’s just too late.”

7. Make sure there are no spelling errors and that every sentence is grammatically correct.  This is a great way to shift focus from deeply personal thoughts to the mechanics of language resulting in discouragement.

(C) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2005

Seriously Now

1. Buy a spiral journal or something that will open flat.

2. Buy several pens you enjoy writing with.

3. Place journal and pens in an easily accessible place.

4. Make sure you journal either at a time or in a place when/where you will experience the least number of distractions.

5. Set realistic goals – especially if you’ve never done this before.  Set yourself a certain number of times a week to write an entry.  Entries can be as simple or detailed as you want them to be.

6. Don’t try to be perfect.  Journaling is supposed to be deeply personal. So what if your great-grandchildren know you had a little trouble spelling or that you left dangling participles.  (What are those anyway?) It is better to write from the heart with mistakes than not at all.

7. What to write? 

Along with the ideas already mentioned, you can also include:

v     Memories.  Don’t feel you must go back through your entire life writing down everything of significance; concentrate on today.  However, there might be a few precious memories you want to record and reflect on. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays may trigger some of these.

v     Include a picture. Most journal paper isn’t thick enough to use as a full fledge photo album, but an occasional photo and caption would make a great addition.

v     Historical events and your thoughts on them.  Where were you when 911 happened?  What did you do during Katrina?  You have a unique perspective that will bring these historical events to life for your future readers.

v     Life-changing books.  Record the title, author, and date read (if you remember) of books that have profoundly touched your life.  Include how or why they affected you so deeply.  Some of mine are In His Steps by Charles Sheldon, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, Power of the Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian, and The Matthew Movie staring Bruce Marchiano as Jesus. (Ok. That last one is a movie, but it deeply influenced me.)

v     Song Lyrics.  Perhaps you heard a song that really blessed or spoke to your heart.  Write those lyrics down along with why it touched you.

v     Long term goals for yourself, your children, and your family.  Periodically go back to revise those goals and check your progress.

v     Doctors’ visits and prescriptions.  How many times have you (or will you) have to fill out medical forms and just can’t remember when that surgery was or what medicines you took. This will give you a written record of your family’s medical history.

(c) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2005

What about those Wonderful “Tid-bits” and Meaningful Cards and Letters?

        Hopefully you are now inspired to begin journaling, but there’s still all those stories, clippings, “funnies”, and correspondences to organize. I’ve include these types of remembrances in this booklet on journaling because they also comprise the fabric of life.  We keep those treasures because they are a significant part of our journey. They make us laugh, cry, think, draw us closer to God, and keep us connected to friends and family.  What we deem important enough to keep is really a reflection of who we are. They need to be preserved in a way that’s easy to enjoy and/or share.  The best way I’ve found to do this is in protective sheets in three ring binders.  I’ll confess that not all my “happies” dwell in such a place, but I have begun the process, and it’s as simple as 1…2…3…

1.    Buy a three-ring binder that allows you to insert a cover and spine. (Then you can add your own creative touches.)  If larger than 1 ½ inches make sure it has a “D” ring instead of a circular one.  The latter makes it very difficult to turn pages in anything larger than 1 ½ inches. (Trust me on this.) 

2.    Fill your binder with page protectors which can be purchased at Wal-mart and office Depot.

3.    As you find or receive a  “keeper”, whether it is a special card, letter, clipping, etc., simply add the date and slip it into a protective sheet.

Other “Binder” ideas

v     Create a separate binder for each category:  funnies, motivational clippings, letters, etc. 

v     Binders and protective sheets are great for holding best loved recipes.  Add photos of the finished product and a note about where the recipe came from to create an heirloom of family recipes!  You may want to include a picture of Grandma making her famous dumplings, or of the kids making chocolate chip cookies.

v     Some people may prefer journaling on the computer.  Print these entries out on cardstock, add photos, and keep safely in a binder for a photo journal.

v     Add your ideas here!

(Of course we all know Cindy Rushton is the Binder Queen!  Check her out for tons of ideas!)

(C) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2005

In Conclusion

From the beginning God put people in families creating a sense of belonging and a method for educating future generations in His ways. Can’t you picture young Noah sitting at the knee of Grandpa Methuselah learning about the Lord!  After living nearly 400 years I’m sure Methuselah had much wisdom to share.[1]  What a tremendous blessing for that family!  (Just think, even little Shem, Ham, and Japheth had access to Methuselah’s first hand experiences with God!)

While our world may rival Noah’s in terms of immorality, we are missing something of great value his, and past generations, possessed:  connectivity.  Our busy, mobile lives have severed much of what used to hold us together.  We don’t have time or proximity to glean wisdom from those who lived before us nor to share what we learn with those who come after us.  And let’s face it, few of us will live to be one hundred years old much less 969.  Our time is short. One way we can reclaim that connection with the future is through journaling. As we record our family history and especially our walk with God we increase our sphere of influence beyond our life time.  What a powerful possibility!  What an awesome responsibility!

Now, go touch the future with your past…

Journal!