Prudence is the ability to act now in preparation for future events. Daniel Webster’s 1828 dictionary states that prudence is being “circumspect; practically wise; careful of the consequences.” It is wise to consider now what will be valuable to us later.
What then is valuable? When we look back over the week, year, or our whole lives, I believe it will be how we did our relationships that will matter most to us. And our relationship with the Lord is the most valuable relationship of all. Our running conversation with Lord is the substance of living in union with Him, recorded evidence that we are His and He is ours.
Many Christians live in relationship with the Lord without recording/writing a single moment it. Why journal? Below are some important reasons to take up the spiritual discipline of keeping a record of the conversation between us our great God.
- If life in conversation with Jesus is not recorded it may be remembered inaccurately, incompletely or worse – not at all.
- The last thing God said is often our instruction for the next crisis or crossroads. We would do well to record what God is revealing so we have the information we need when questions arise or assurances are needed. God is careful to prepare us and we need to be careful to listen and treasure what He says. (See The-Prayer-that-Must-Win.)What we journal is the core of our testimony. It is fresh. It is real. It is riveting. It is transparent. Our personal experience is a vital witnessing tool.
- Journaling measures growth. There comes the joyful day when the record of the conversation outlines measureable Christian growth.
- Our recorded past relationship with God also provides a framework for our future. In hindsight the themes weave themselves into a pattern, a direction, and we are positioned to move forward.
- The written conversation is a place where our thoughts may be discerned and compared. Safely retained, they are available for deeper reflection in other seasons.
- The history of God’s intervention in our lives is cumulative in nature. It shows us what God is like and teaches us to trust Him.
- Sometimes busy minds need a break. Writing the important frees us to think of other things.
- Even if we do not believe we will need the revelation later, someone else may, and we thereby preserve it as a gift for another. God’s story in our lives is not ours alone. It is meant to be a blessing to others, especially those in our families. Our written conversation with the Lord is a storehouse of potential insight for others, spiritual legacy for people we may never meet. God’s activity in our lives is the heritage that we leave for another generation.
Writing the conversation of our life in God is prudent – very prudent.
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