Do you write notes to your children – little notes hidden in a place for them to discover, like under a pillow or in a pocket – notes filled with love, encouragement, and gratitude? “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). As a mother who wants her children to grow spiritually and who desires to keep her children’s hearts, I encourage you to see the value in writing notes to them.
“The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning” (Proverbs 16:21). The sweetness of your lips can be transferred to the written page. In your notes, you have the ability to share with a child what you see the Lord doing in his life and how you are praying for that child. You can thank a child for a special kindness he has done. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24).
These notes do not have to be long or complicated to be beneficial. “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Your words in a note will be written reminders to your children of your love for them and your gratitude to the Lord for them.
“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23). In this verse, I read what I discovered myself. When I wrote my children notes, they not only encouraged my child but brought joy to my heart.
“The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat” (Proverbs 15:30). Written notes are an excellent way to give a child a good report. We can focus on the work the Lord is doing in the child’s life that has led to our words of praise for him. We can express gratitude for the child’s obedience to the Lord’s working and promptings in his life.
Spoken words vanish in a flash except for the memory of them. However, written words can be kept, read, and reread for days, months, and even years. I have notes that Steve wrote me through the years, along with ones the children wrote, plus ones from others. These words were blessings and encouragements to me when I first read them. In addition, I have read them at various times through the years. Truly, they are treasures to me.
My notes to my children had several goals. I wanted them to express my love for that child. A second goal was to communicate positive spiritual growth that I observed in their life. My final goal was to share Scripture I was praying for them. My notes did not always meet all three goals, and they certainly had additional topics in them, but those goals gave me direction for the notes.
May I encourage you to take a few minutes from your busy day on a regular basis to bless your children (or husband, or grandchildren, or friends) by writing them encouraging notes. Small steps toward a goal are better than no steps at all. If you begin now to write one note a week, it would only take five or ten minutes from each week. In the course of a year, you would write fifty-two notes. What are you willing to sacrifice of your personal time to bless your children by writing to them your thoughts, feelings, and spiritual encouragement? Will you put them ahead of other activities on which you spend you time? May you be a mother who choose to build your relationship with your children and to spur them on to love and good works through your written words to them.