Creating A Keepsake

Have you ever had anything passed down from a grandmother or grandfather or maybe even a GREAT grandmother or GREAT grandfather? If you have, then you know how special that item is to you. It helps you understand their love for you. I found a wonderful idea this week online for creating a treasured keepsake for you children.

Purchase a Bible and begin reading it for your child. Not TO your child, FOR them! As you read through this Bible, make notes in the margins specifically for your child. "I prayed this Scripture for you today, Rachel." "May you always follow God's desires for your life, Ben." As you read, allow the Holy Spirit to direct your thoughts for your child. And, after reading through the entire Bible, you will be able to present it to your child as a keepsake they will treasure forever.

Here are some words of advice for creating this keepsake:

1. Choose wisely. Wide margins are the most important factor in choosing a Bible for this purpose. You need room to write comments or personal prayers. For readability, you may want to choose one with large print.

2. Personalize your Bible. Most Christian bookstores will imprint your loved one's name on the cover, either free or for a nominal charge.

3. Seek God's guidance. Ask God to bless your reading and to show you how to pray for your loved one.

4. Think through a reading plan. It might be fine for most people to read the Bible from front to back, but you may soon realize—somewhere in the Old Testament genealogies, that you need a different strategy. You might find that it works better for you to skip around a bit. At one sitting, you might read a chapter each from the Old and New Testaments, and then you might read a Proverb and a Psalm. Another time, you might read a book in the New Testament in its entirety. Keep track of what you read by marking the table of contents.

5. Write from the heart. While the Bible is God's love letter to us, write your own love notes in the margins or at the end of the chapter—whispers from a mother to her child. "Today I prayed that you would have the courage of Queen Esther—that you would allow God to work in your life in a mighty way." Or, "Please, Lord, give Lindsey a passion for your Word and a heart for your people."

What a precious gift we could give our children to show them not only how much WE love them but more importantly, how much GOD loves them!