Most families have a box somewhere filled with memories. Maybe it holds a child’s first attempt at writing his name, a kindergarten graduation certificate, an old team photograph, a handmade Mother’s Day card, or an art project only a parent could love. We save these things because they capture the moments we don’t want to forget. Years later, parents and grandparents can open those boxes, smile at how far that child has come, and remember the milestones along the way.
Our family has a memory from a trip to Disney World when our youngest son was six. A cast member taught our family how to draw Donald Duck. My wife’s drawing was clearly the best. My nine-year-old and I were passable. But our six-year-old’s drawing was, well, exactly what you would expect from a six-year-old. We saved it anyway. Now he is 24, and we can pull it out, laugh together, and see just how much he has grown.
That makes me wonder: What if we were just as intentional about preserving evidence of a child’s
spiritual growth?
Recently, I attended a teacher training for the new D6 Curriculum and its Discipleship Journals. The journals give students a place to engage with the Sunday School lesson, record thoughts from the sermon, identify meaningful takeaways, and continue learning through daily devotions during the week. As I looked through the D6 Discipleship Journal, a light bulb came on.
What if parents, grandparents, and teachers encouraged children and teenagers to really use these journals? Not simply to fill in blanks, but to record what they are learning, questions they are asking, truths they are discovering, and ways God is speaking through His Word. What if families used the daily devotions to continue those conversations at home?
Then, when a journal is completed, put it in a keepsake box. Do it again with the next journal. And the next. Imagine a small child beginning that practice and continuing through high school. Now picture the night before he or she leaves for college, begins a career, joins the military, or simply steps into adulthood. Mom and Dad pull out the box, and together they look through years of spiritual growth.
They might find an awkward answer written by a nine-year-old, just like that awkward Donald Duck drawing. But there also might be a verse that became important during a difficult year. A sermon note might reveal something God was teaching long before the teenager understood why it mattered. Questions may demonstrate growing faith and understanding. Page after page could provide reminders of God’s faithfulness.
This idea extends beyond the home. Sunday School teachers and church leaders can champion it. A teacher could remind students, “Don’t throw this journal away. You are building a record of what God is teaching you.” Churches could encourage families to preserve completed D6 Discipleship Journals and even create moments when graduating seniors look back at their spiritual journey. Imagine the power of ten years of journals in one box. If your child is close to adulthood, save whatever you have and reflect even on a year's worth.
We already save report cards, photographs, trophies, certificates, and childhood artwork because they remind us of growth. Those things are worth celebrating. But what if alongside them we intentionally preserved something even more important: a record of God working in a child’s life?
I treasure that terrible drawing of Donald Duck. But I would treasure even more a milestone box filled with memories of how God’s Word shaped my children, how their faith matured, and how the Lord proved faithful year after year.
Someday, that may be the keepsake that matters most.
About the Writer: Pastor Kevin Barnett serves as the lead pastor ofOzark Family Church in Ozark, Missouri.He is married to Jennifer Barnett, an active participant in children's ministry and author of the book Walking With Jesus. They have two sons, Matthew and Michael.
