Your life’s message
Adobe
I've been blessed with the opportunity to write more than three dozen books. Writing is hard work. It can be complicated, tedious, and time consuming. It's not for everyone.
On the other hand, everyone has a message worth sharing. That message consists of the distilled wisdom you have accumulated throughout your life. It might be condensed into a single phrase, such as "Work hard!" or "Don't make excuses!" Perhaps you have a "Top Ten" list of important lessons you learned throughout your career or while rearing three children.
Imagine a 22-year-old newlywed comes to you for marriage or career advice. If you had thirty minutes to impart your most valuable wisdom, what would you say?
That's likely your life message. Perhaps it's the philosophy that made you successful. Maybe you experienced a traumatic failure and want to warn others not to fall into the same trap. Life messages can spare people a lot of grief if they are willing to listen and learn.
The writer of Ecclesiastes claimed there was nothing new under the sun. In part, the author is emphasizing that wisdom from yesterday is still applicable today. The only thing wiser than learning from your mistakes is learning from other people's blunders!
Unfortunately, many people never share the wisdom they've accumulated. They may not realize they have a gold mine at their disposal. Perhaps they view themselves as too ordinary to have anything important to say. Many never take the time to organize their thoughts. I love the African saying that when an old person dies, a library is lost. If you don't record what you've learned, you'll take all that wisdom to the grave.
My friend Rick Fisher wrote a book chronicling God's activity in his life and family for the primary purpose of keeping a record to share with his kids and grandkids. He wanted them to understand their spiritual legacy and to know what shaped their grandfather into the man he became.
Writing a book isn't easy, but it's much simpler than it used to be. All you need is a laptop. Begin by describing the most impactful experiences of your life and the lessons you learned from them. Don't worry about composing a literary masterpiece, and don't wait until you think you have time to do it. You never will! But you can make time. Skip TV or social media one week or over a weekend and jot down your thoughts instead. You can enlist a ghost writer or editor to help you.
That said, your story doesn't have to take the form of a traditional book. You can put your thoughts into blog posts so they are available to people around the world. You might be surprised by who ends up benefiting from them.
Some people choose to make videos of themselves sharing their life story. What a treat for grandchildren and great-grandchildren to benefit from that wisdom even many years later!
Don't view recording your story as an act of hubris. Don't dismiss the idea by claiming, "Who do I think I am assuming someone would care about my story?" Remember, the wisdom you share could save someone from experiencing unnecessary pain. It could lead them to success. Wouldn't it be amazing if your experiences made someone else's life better?
So get to work. Start writing down your thoughts. Ponder your experiences. Mine them for nuggets of wisdom. Then record all those insights so they are accessible to others. People will be glad you did.
 | Richard Blackaby is the president of Blackaby Ministries International and lives in Georgia. He travels internationally speaking on spiritual leadership in the home, church, and marketplace as well as on spiritual awakening, experiencing God, and the Christian life. Richard regularly ministers to Christian CEOs and business leaders. He has written or co-authored 33 books . This article was first published on RichardBlackaby.com. Used with permission from Blackaby Ministries International. Learn More » |
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