“Young people are educated in many ways,” writes David Brooks, “but they are given relatively little help in understanding how a life
develops, how careers and families evolve, what are the common mistakes and the
common blessings of modern adulthood.”
Dan Allender helps us with this perspective, “Our story
begins with the characters who gave us birth, including their past relationships
with their parents and issues such as success and shame; power and abuse; love,
loss, and addiction; heartache and secrets; and family myths. Our birth is a
beginning, but we owe our existence to the generations that came before us. Our
beginning … took place before we were born….” (To Be Told)
“I discovered how much
the stories about the women who came before me, who are now gone, matter to me
now,” says author Joy DeKok. “I can draw from their wisdom and learn from their
decisions, mistakes, and successes. As a society, we often discard our elderly
or those already gone as insignificant. This lie birthed a passion in me to
urge men and women of all ages to preserve and share their stories now so this
generation and those to come later, will have the benefit of their wisdom and
life-knowledge.…
“The world, or my corner of it, [is] changed when I share
the past forward. … The past can only have value in the future if we preserve
it now.… The world is hungry for real-life stories.… We want to watch how
people cope, respond, mess up, and
succeed.… People want our stories.” (Joy DeKok, author of Your Life a Legacy)
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness
no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
they will
tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your
majesty.…
They will tell of the power of your awesome works.…
They will celebrate
your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
(Psalm 145: 3-7,
NIV)
You
have a story inside that younger generations need to hear. Only you can write
it best. Connect your story with God’s story and write yourself
onto the pages of your family’s Christian history.
Beautiful post, Linda. I am amazed at how much I learn about myself when I write the stories of my family --living and deceased. This is such an important reminder for all of us to preserve these family stories for the generations to come. Thank you for another meaningful and insightful post.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Kathy
Kathy, thanks for your insights. Like you, I marvel at what we learn about ourselves when we dig into our ancestors' lives and personalities. Somehow, doing that helps us know and accept ourselves better and, for me, at least, it helps me want to be sure my grandchildren feel they have a special place in not only the 3 or so generations they know, but also in those that came before them. That, I hope, will motivate them to consider their roles with their children and grandchildren (when that time comes). It all ties in with God's Word about passing such legacies to future generations. It's all beautifully tied together!
DeleteThanks for stopping by, dear Kathy.
Linda
Linda, amazingly power post! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on passing our stories along to the next generation. A recent trip "home" brought this to light for me. Keep reminding us how important this sharing is.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Sherrey
That's supposed to be "amazingly powerful." :)
DeleteAlways wonderful to hear from you, Sherrey. Keep writing that memoir! I'm going to read it one day soon!
ReplyDeleteLinda