Day 3 of 21 Days - A Common Thread

Today's lesson focuses on the importance of keeping sacred records - of journaling about answers to prayer and about moments of inspiration.

This lesson quotes Spencer W. Kimball who said: "We renew our appeal for the keeping of individual histories and accounts of sacred experiences in our lives - answered prayers, inspiration from the Lord, administrations in our behalf, a record of the special times and events of our lives. From these records you can also appropriately draw as you relay faith-promoting stories in your family circles and discussions. Stories of inspiration from our own lives and those of our forebears as well as stories from our scriptures and our history are powerful teaching tools. I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to you, each other, your children, your grandchildren, and others throughout the generations." "Therefore I Was Taught" Ensign, Jan 1982, p4)

Freeman writes about studying the journal written by her husband's great-grandmother and how many members of their family have been inspired and uplifted by the record that woman left. I too have been blessed by reading the histories of others. I have enjoyed helping some of my family members compile records of their own lives. I hope in the coming year I can be more diligent about recording some of my own stories. It's time.

There are lots of articles about the value of keeping a journal. Here are just a few:
The Importance of Keeping A Journal
How To Keep A Journal
Types of Journal Writing

However, I can see real wisdom is taking special care to record the sacred parts of my life - the feelings and thoughts I experience as I study, ponder and pray so that I can establish a record of my spiritual journey. This can become an important record for my family, but also a rich resource for me to reflect back on it in times of challenge or stress. Working through the lessons in this book feels like a good way to begin that process.

A quote that particularly impressed me was from a Dec 2007 Liahona article "There Shall Be a Record Kept Among You" by Marlin K Jensen. In answer to the question of why Latter-day Saints are counseled to keep histories Jensen stated "The scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, make clear that “remembering” is a fundamental and saving principle of the gospel. We keep records to help us remember. Remembering the past gives us needed perspective as God’s children to have faith in our future destiny and thus to live more faithfully in the present."

As I read those words I could feel the truth of them. I was also reminded of a talk by Henry B. Eyring about the power of recording daily ways that the Lord touches our lives. He said: "You could ask yourself, 'How did God Bless me today?' If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God's hand in your life."

There are some things I will be willing to record here on this blog as I continue to work my way through the lessons of this book in the coming weeks. However there are other things that will be so deeply personal that I would not put them out on a public display. So I will begin with a new book for my personal writings and hope that in the weeks and months to follow I will be diligent in recording the things of true worth.