A few days ago I was going through a box of old papers to decide which ones I still needed to keep and which ones I needed to shred. In that box was an old notebook dating back to 1993.It was a prayer journal that I had kept that year. I started reading it and it was surely a blast from my past.
While I had been through more difficult years than that, the year was still no piece of cake. Our daughter had gotten engaged and her wedding was impending. Which was perhaps going to be a struggle for us financially. Our oldest son was going with a girl that was in the occult And we were going through some difficult times with him. The next son was struggling in school Thankfully we weren't having any real problems with our youngest son But we were concerned about the impending shut down of the plant where my husband worked. And of course, there were other problems as well.
However, things surely could have been worse, but indeed they were still not easy. We had been going to church and I was involved in a women's Bible study group. Each morning after everyone left for the day, I would take some quiet time just to spend with God. Reading my Bible and praying. And I kept a journal. In my journal, I actually wrote out my prayers to God instead of just praying them. And I also kept a column where I would also write any answers to those prayers. Also, I kept a list of scripture (also written out) that I found that really spoke to me.
It was very nostalgic to be looking back to so many years ago. To remember what we were going through at that time and to see how far God had brought us. Where we were then in comparison to where we are today. Older for sure and hopefully wiser.
Our kids are grown with families of their own. Eight grandkids now, not just 4 children our family has surely gotten larger. Those problems of yesterday are no more, and over the years new ones have replaced them. New prayers have been sent up and God has been so gracious to answer them.
The other morning when I was reading it, it was bittersweet. Wishing for the day to go back when the kids were younger. (At that time, I was wishing for the day to come when they were grown up and on their own so that they would stop all their fighting with each other. lol.) And yet I wouldn't go back to those years if I could.
But what I got out of it the most was actually seeing God's hand work in our lives from day to day that year and his provision as we traveled through it, the good and sometimes the not so good.
I know that somewhere in other boxes I am sure to have more journals because I have never thrown any away that I kept. And when I find them, I will take some trips again into the past. And it will be bittersweet.
In the meantime, if you are not keeping your own journal I would urge you to. Life goes by so swiftly even when it seems to move so slow. Keeping a journal can help you remember those times you forget. They offer up a glimpse into how God worked in your life and if you keep them long enough, they can be read by your own children at some point after you leave this earth and be (hopefully) a sweet keepsake of how God worked in not only your life but theirs as well.
WOULD YOU PLAY THIS GAME?
Joke of the day"
Have a Blessed Lord"s Day Folks!
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