MORE THAN WORDS

When my first daughter went away to college I gave her a gift when we left her in her dorm room. It was a journal—but not just any journal. It was a “mistake journal.” I told her that each night before she went to bed, she should write down three mistakes she made that day. I said that as long as she was going to write them down, she might as well write down the big ones.

Then, after recording them, she should take that journal, slip it under her pillow or onto her bedside table, and fall asleep knowing that the Earth was still spinning on its axis, God was still in control and loving her, and tomorrow was another day. While I’m not advocating mistakes for the sake of mistakes, there is something very powerful about dispelling fear by realizing that your mistakes are not stronger than God’s love for you.

Nancy Ortberg, Looking for God : An Unexpected Journey through Tattoos, Tofu and Pronouns