The importance of the written word.

3 Nephi 23

Jesus asks the people where the scriptures are that bear record of the prophecies Samual the Lamanite declared and also the fulfillment of those prophecies.

I believe we are being taught something really important in this short chapter and something in which I believe deeply, i.e. the importance of the written word.

We are told in Alma 37:8 that the scriptures enlarge our memory, convince us of the error of our ways, and bring us to a knowledge of God.  In 3 Nephi 23, Jesus is underscoring the importance of this.  Where were the people at this time?  It was just after a pretty major event in their lives that shook their world literally.  They were putting their lives back together and I suspect they were busy rebuilding their homes, their livelihoods and caring for those around them.  Yet the Lord expected them to be recording what had happened and they hadn’t done so yet.  Even the prophet Nephi hadn't written about it until he was commanded by the Savior.  

What does this tell us about the importance the Lord puts on journals?  I believe it is that we are never too busy to record what is happening in our lives.  When we feel the spirit, we need to be certain the experience makes it to paper.  Why should that be such a big deal?  I’m certain it is as Alma says.  Sometimes we forget.  Sometimes we will start heading the wrong way, and things we have recorded can help pull us back.  And always, when we read things of the Spirit, it will draw us closer to God and our knowledge of him.  This is my own little bandwagon and I’m sure I probably take it to the extreme.  But when I was struggling to overcome some pretty tough things in my life, a therapist told me I don’t learn from my experiences and counseled me to keep a journal.  That one piece of counsel has been very instrumental in my ability to change my life!