Keep a faith-building journal for your children

Possibly the greatest gift I’ve ever received was a book my parents gave me when I left home. Each page was filled with my mother’s handwriting, retelling incidents of how God answered prayers for me and guided me through hard times – and how my faith in Him grew.

As I faced life on my own for the first time, this book strengthened my trust in God and gave me more confidence in my future.

Creating a spiritual legacy

One powerful way to create a spiritual legacy for your children is by keeping a consistent record of God’s fingerprints upon their lives. A "faith builder’s journal" will help you do just that. With a personal report of God’s blessings, your children can witness His hand navigating them through confusing or difficult periods and His provision in times of need. A journal imparts to your children confidence that God will always be there for them.

For handwritten entries, invest in a nicely bound journal or notebook to serve as a keepsake. If you prefer to record your memories electronically, purchase journaling software or create your own pages. You may want to print your electronic journal as you go, protecting against technological advances that may render it inaccessible in the years to come.

Things to note down

Record events or experiences when God was noticeably at work in your child’s life. You may choose to include:

• Tangible needs that God has met
• God’s provision of comfort and peace
• Times when God’s protection or healing touch was evident
• Answers to the child’s prayers
• Milestones in spiritual growth

Don’t hesitate to record small, seemingly unimportant incidents. If God’s involved, it’s never too small. You never know what He’ll use to build your child’s faith.

Starting early in a child’s life will give him numerous events to reflect on as a witness of God’s love. But even if your child is already a teenager, blessings from his childhood can still be included.

The journal can be given as a graduation or wedding gift to help your child start his new life with a treasury of memories of God’s faithfulness.