Daily Hope for the Empty NestSample

Write It Down

One of my regrets from the growing up years of my family was that I didn’t keep a journal. Life was so busy and filled with such an abundance of activities that it seemed as though each day was a rinse-and-repeat version of the previous day. Now, as I look back, I realize that each day was not exactly like any other. Each one came with its own peaks and valleys. How I wish I had made the effort to jot down some sentences, or even just a few bullet points, describing each day!

These days, I rely on digital photo apps, like TimeHop, to provide a highlight reel of at least the past several years. How nice it would be to have a few words written in my own handwriting that marked the special nature of each of those photos, along with those moments that weren’t documented in any photos!

In today’s passage, Jesus commands John to write about the past, present, and future. In the empty nest, this practice can become therapeutic for us as well as sentimental. It’s never too late to start this new practice! Even in this season, each day comes with its own set of new experiences. Start writing things down now so you can look back on them in the future.

Prayer

God, please help me to develop the habit of writing down daily occurrences so I will be able to look back at the timeline of my life. Amen.

Exercise

Pick up a journal or notebook and commit to writing down at least one memory from each day.