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Writing helps us remember |
Last year for about a month and a half I very faithfully kept an “Impression Journal.” Now I wish I had been more diligent about continuing that habit because, as I scan the impressions I received, I see patterns and rediscover gems I’d forgotten. Here are some of the (less personal) ideas that came to me during that time:
March 26: Take time to keep relationships in good order. Look at people and smile while listening.
March 26: Take time to keep relationships in good order. Look at people and smile while listening.
March 27: Losing my temper gives me a headache.
April 5: God can give words to parents in the very moment they need them. For example, “You will hurt yourself if you don’t learn to be obedient. You will hurt others if you don’t learn to say you’re sorry.”
April 12: You don’t have to be your children’s friend, but you should love them more than their friends love them.
April 17: Pray aloud. Listen to God as much as He listens to you.
April 20: Laugh often with children. Doing so will give them present-tense joy and security as well as future happy memories to revisit in times of trouble or sadness.
April 23: Allow friendships to have a fresh start. Sometimes look at your old friends with new eyes.
April 30: Recognize gifts of love that come packaged differently than you once wanted or expected.
May 3: Pray for courage to let children live their own lives and take their own risks.
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From revisiting these impressions, I can see clearly that God is always talking to me. I just don’t always remember what He says. (Sounds like a classic parent/child relationship.) I'm glad I captured what I did, but, as my father used to say, “ The shortest pencil is more reliable than the longest memory.” It’s time to sharpen my pencil.
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