Memory Journals

Memory Journals

It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River. Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’”

Joshua 4:20-22

I’ve been journaling for twenty years, collecting stories, prayers, and Scriptures. I have thoughts tucked inside spiral-bound notebooks and leather journals. Prayer requests—and answers—fill their pages.

I try to imagine what my children and grandchildren might think when they read through the pages. My journals contain my questions, cries of my heart, and even confessions. There are also prayers of surrender and praise. The picture my loved ones will see within my words is that I was completely human, with joys and struggles like anyone else’s. Mostly, I hope they’ll see that no matter what, I turned to God. That I depended on Him in all circumstances.

The Amish do not usually expose their feelings in their diaries. Instead they note down each day’s rounds of boiling pear butter, collecting duck eggs, cleaning stables, taking sleigh rides or attending church. Once in a while dramatic events are recorded, but sometimes not by the diarists themselves.

“Our Dear son Dannie died this morning at 10 minutes after 8 o’clock,” Samuel and Annie Esh wrote as the May 31, 1912, entry in their teenage son’s worn clothbound diary. The Eshes then filled out some of the rest of the year’s pages with dutiful notes on farm life in Pennsylvania.

While I’m sure these journals are treasures, can you imagine how much more meaningful they would be if they shared real heart issues?

Have you ever set up stones of remembrance from your walk with God? Find a journal to write down your memories of God’s goodness in your life. You’ll be amazed by how much has already been captured in your heart!

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for all You’ve done in my life. May I be faithful to share that with others.