Tuesday Tidbit: Your memoir, a wise word spoken at the right moment

Reading time: 1 minute, 29 seconds

“We have stories to tell; stories that provide wisdom about the journey of life,” writes Saul Rubin. “What more have we to give one another than the truth about our human adventure as honestly and as openly as we know how?”

Think for a minute—isn’t that what memoir is all about?

Believe this: God has made you wise in at least one aspect of life and faith. Surely you have stories to write out of that wisdom!

Your memoir could be someone’s much-needed “word spoken at the right moment” (Proverbs 15:23).

• “Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare to her” (Proverbs 8:11).
• “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).
• “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).
• “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16).

But how do you become wise?

Chuck Swindoll writes about having a conversation with a friend in which the topic of wisdom kept popping up, “things like intuition, diligence, integrity, perception, consistency, loyalty. . . .

“Wisdom is hard to define,” Chuck said, “because it means much more than knowledge and goes much deeper than awareness. . . .

“I asked [my friend], ‘How does a person get wisdom? I realize we are to be men and women of wisdom, but few people ever talk about how it’s acquired.

“His answer was quick and to the point.

“‘Pain.’”

“I paused and looked deeply into his eyes. . . . I knew his one-word answer was not theoretical. He had walked the path. He and pain had gotten to know each other well. . . .”

Take a couple of minutes to read the rest of Chuck Swindoll’s post, How God Gives You Wisdom. You won’t regret it!

He concludes, “When we have responded as we should to life’s blows, enduring them rather than escaping them, God gives us more maturity that stays with us and new measures of wisdom which we are able to draw upon for the balance of our lives.”

I suspect many of you know exactly what Chuck’s talking about,

and what his friend was talking about.

How did you acquire your wisdom?

Someone needs to know your story. 

Don’t keep him or her waiting!

There you have it, your Tuesday Tidbit.

Summertime and the important stuff

Summertime. Family time. Important stuff. So...

So, I'm taking a brief break to hang out with the family. But first...

I want to inspire you with this post, Write the important stuff before it's too late, in which I ask:

What wisdom can you share with your kids,

grandkids, and great-grands

before you die?

What balance? What perspective?

What reassurance?

What can you demystify for them?

Include those accounts in your memoir.

Click here to read the rest of the post,

Write the important stuff before it's too late.

Don't miss it! You'll find inspiration!

Tuesday Tidbit: Your memoir can minister to others

Here's your 15 seconds of inspiration,

your Tuesday Tidbit:

Write the important stuff before it’s too late

“…As young people embark upon the journey of life and begin to hit rough patches," writes Johann Chrisoph Arnold, “we can provide balance and reassurance. Whether they think so or not, people who have weathered many storms possess much wisdom.

“Father Aldo Trento, a priest in Paraguay… has seen this firsthand: ‘The greatness of old age is that it has wisdom, which is…important for young people. A young person about to face life has thousands of problems, but an old man can demystify many of these problems.’” (from The Plough’s blog post, “Why Grandparents Matter,” emphasis mine)

So, since you no doubt have “have weathered many storms,” 

what wisdom do you want your kids and grandkids 

to know before you die? 

What can you demystify for them? 

Write those messages into stories for your memoir.

Write stories that give messages like:

This is what real love looks like: (write an account illustrating real love).

This is what respect looks like: (write an account…)

This is what integrity looks like: (write an account…)

This is what tenacity looks like:

This is what faithfulness looks like: 

This is what faith in God looks like:

This is what honesty looks like:

This is what real beauty looks like:

This is what joy looks like:

This is what kindness looks like:

This is what humility looks like:

Etc.

In your concluding chapter or your epilogue or post script, be sure to include thing such as:

I admire you for _____.

I respect you for _____.

I always enjoyed doing _____ with you.

I’m proud of you for doing ________.

I’ve prayed for you.

I have learned so much from you, including ____ and _____.

I’ll always remember __________.

Thank you for _____.

I love you.

Frederick Buechner’s questions can also help you write your memoir:

“…If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be.… ?

“Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo?

“Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?

“Is there any person in the world, or any cause, that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?

“If this were the last day of your life, what would you do with it?…” (Wishful Thinking)

Your stories can help shape your readers’ lives and assure them that you love and value them. Your stories can encourage them to hang in there when discouraged and to do the right thing when tempted to choose the wrong thing—and so much more!

Writing your memoir is not a hobby

—it is a ministry!

Believe that, and write!

Writing about your fear's pros and cons

We all deal with fear, but sometimes fear races out of control.

Fear can take over.

Fear can cripple.

Fear can paralyze.

Cowardice, dread, trepidation, apprehension, worry, anxiety—they can hinder our potential and rob us of living a full life.

What-ifs can incapacitate us.  

We don’t like to admit we’re afraid. We feel ashamed of being anxious. We think that if we were better people, better Christians, we wouldn’t have fears.

But fear is a curious thing.  Sometimes fear is a friend, a guide.

Fear can alert us to potential danger. It gives us pause.

Fear can give us time—

time to take a careful look at what’s before us,

time to exercise discernment and discretion.

Fear can give us time to weigh our options

 and understand what we’re getting ourselves into

and make choices with wisdom and maturity.

Fear keeps us from recklessness

and from flinging ourselves into foolishness,

left to thrash around,

leaving us with regrets later.

Being paralyzed by fear can offer the gift of time—time to count the cost. To prioritize life’s goals and heart’s desires. To commit to being steadfast. (adapted from Oh God Don’t Make Me Go Don’t Make Me Go: Winded and Scruffy and Brimming with Tales, copyright 2015 by Linda K. Thomas)

You have wrestled with pros and cons of fear

and dread and worry.

The question is:

How can you turn those experiences

 into valuable lessons for your kids

and grandkids—

and who knows how many future generations?

Be intentional. Make time to remember incidents in your past. Choose to write at least one story for your memoir that will challenge your readers as they face their own fears.