Of all of the questions I have answered this is probably the most sobering! The reason I say this is I probably will never meet your children. Even if I am blessed to live that long, I doubt I will live long enough to have any real effect on their lives. So, the answer is easy. Read these notes!
As I have written these, I have had the future in mind. Presently, I am writing these for your mother. My hope is these notes will serve as a reminder of the life we have shared and serve as a bit of a road map to continue her growth as a person and your mother.
The first time you read these notes should be on your 16th birthday (I should be around for those)! At 16 some of these thoughts may make sense and be useful. My hope is these will guide you through High School and into college and/or your first career. After your 21st birthday (slight chance I will be there), these notes may make even more sense to you and will be a part of who you become as an adult. Maybe you will refer to these notes from time to time. At 35 (doubt very seriously I will live to be 104), you should probably read these again. By then, you may be married and have children of your own and these notes will start to really make sense. If I had started writing these when I was 35 they would have been very different. Starting these at 69 I see things differently and have a lot better understanding of life.
It would be totally naïve on my part to think these will be relevant to you. The world is changing fast! Some changes for the good! Some changes not so good. Some of these notes will transcend time, some may not! By the time your children (my great grandchildren) are reading these the world will have evolved even more.
What I would tell them is the scriptures and my testimony to my faith in Jesus Christ transcend time. Even in my lifetime, I have sadly observed the culture embracing these truths less and less! So, I would advise them to embrace God’s Word, understand humanity and God are separated because humans misuse their free will, but God has reunited humanity through the death and resurrection of His Son, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. As a part of my advice is God loves them unconditionally and the Holy Spirit of the resurrected Jesus Christ of Nazareth can be active in their life if they desire.
My advice to you and your children is when you start to read these notes, you will also commit yourself to read the New Testament. Learn who Jesus is! Learn about the Holy Spirit and how you can live an abundant life and have eternal life. If after reading these at 16, 21 and 35 they don’t make sense, you have at least given God’s Word and my words a try.
Here’s a final thought. As I have been writing these and even in this note I have presented the reality I will probably not live long enough to see you, or your children really appreciate these notes. Don’t be sad I didn’t live to see it. The time I have had with you has been wonderful. You need to know I do not fear death. Jesus has promised eternal life to those who believe. As much as I have enjoyed my life in this world, I look forward to eternity and the kingdom of Heaven. I hope these notes will be a bit of a map to guide you there!
Here are two scriptures that changed my life!
John 3:16 NASB 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
Revelation 3:20 NASB 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Looking forward to seeing my family and friends dining with Jesus!