Writing it Down

      In the Book of Mormon we have the blessing of reading the words of a great prophet named Samuel, and specifically a prophecy he made that when Christ is resurrected, many of the dead would rise from their graves and minister unto the living.  Later we are able to read that this prophecy was fulfilled, however this would not have been possible had Christ not come to the Americas.  In 3 Nephi 23:9 Christ inquires of his disciples, "I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?". The disciples confirmed the truthfulness of this claim, and then Christ asked, “How be it that ye have not written this thing…?” (3 Nephi 23:11).  It says that in that moment Nephi remembered that he hadn’t written it down, and under Christ’s direct command, those things were written. 

     I feel like every person should imagine themselves in the shoes of Nephi.  When we die, we will go to judgement before Christ.  What detail of your life might he ask you about?  I asked myself this question and recalled when a friend shared her testimony and it was extremely powerful to me.  It was exactly what I needed to hear, and it was as if Heavenly Father was talking directly to me through her.  I could imagine Christ saying, “I commanded her that she should speak this words and they pierced you to the very soul.  Was it not so?”  I would undeniably confirm his claim, and then I thought about the question that would come after.  “How be it that ye have not written this thing?”  I could only imagine the shame, the self disappointment that I would feel in that position, and so from that moment of reflection I resolved to be better about keeping a journal, and doing it right.

     A journal should not be a collection of gossip, but a collection of testimony, showing the marvelous works of God in your life each day.  This journal will come to be a strength to you in your own life, and may very well be a strength to your posterity.  On this subject, President Spencer W. Kimball said the following: “Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.”

     I hope we can all begin this wonderful practice.