“Say it,” not as a hobby but as a ministry

Grandmas with Heart has a message that pertains to everyone here at SM 101, not just grandparents! “There is more to being a grandparent than fun and games—there is the handing down of confident faith . . . by being the link between the past and the future.”

 

“We . . . share with them the history of their family” such as when an ancestor “gave food from his grocery store to families who could not buy food in the depression and saved their lives.”

 

Stories such as when an ancestor “was hit over the head, thrown on a boat, taken to America and sold as an indentured servant.”

 

Grandma’s With Heart continues, “We are blessed to share how God worked in the lives of family in the distant past, in our own lives, and help them learn to watch for what He does in their own lives. . . .” 

 

Family histories “are a way they connect to the past, learn to pay attention to the present, while looking forward to the future.

 

“They give us a way to help the generations who come behind us trace God’s hands through the lives of their ancestors and know what it looks like to see His hand in their own lives. . . .

 

“Be the link in His chain of love which connects the past with the future.” (Read more at “Be the Link in the Chain.”)

 

Now, some of you might think

writing a memoir is for other people.

Some of you might question

whether you should write a memoir

for your kids and grandkids.

Some of you wonder

if your life’s stories are important.

 

At times we all have nagging uncertainties:

 

Do I have anything important to say?

 

Haven’t other writers already penned everything significant?

 

To counter those doubts, hear this:

 

You’re part of a story much bigger than yourself:

Your story is important.

It’s part of God’s story, and God’s story is part of yours.

 

Today, to reiterate your stories’ importance, I’m pleased to share words that have stuck in my mind for several years now, words of Edward Paz. Take Edward’s message to heart because it’s true!

 

“Say it.

Because no one else has said it with your style.

Because no one has said it with your energy.

Because no one has said it with your passion.

Say it.

Because no one has said it to your tribe.

Because no one has said it to your audience.

Because no one has said it to your followers.

Say it.

Who cares if someone else talked about it?

Who cares if someone else blogged about it?

Who cares if someone else wrote about it?

Say it anyways.

The truth is,

if you haven’t said it, it has yet to be said.”

(Edward Paz)

 

Friends! Wonder no more whether your stories are important.

 

You have lived stories only you can share.

Your history—your experiences, your insights,

your lessons learned—are not your own.

They have been entrusted to you by God.

 

Connect your stories with God’s story—

not as a hobby,

but as an important ministry to your family.