Writing

"And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls." (Alma 37:8)

In the last couple of months, I have gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the power of writing. I began a couple of months ago being more consistent in my journal writing and I have enjoyed such great blessings because of it. I have kept three different journals that have each had different positive outcomes. There's no reason why they have to be separate, I just happen to have a lot of notebooks. :) The three types of journals are a history journal, an emotions journal, and a study journal.

The history journal is the one that we usually think of when we talk about journals. This is the one in which I record the big important events that occur in our lives. Every once in a while I try to record our normal day to day activities too. I enjoy thinking about what I want to be able to remember from this time in my life and what I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren. I especially try to record important spiritual experiences that I have.

My emotions journal is my favorite. I try to take a little bit of time everyday to write about whatever I want, whatever comes to mind. Sometimes it has to do with what I've been learning through my studies, sometimes I just write about how I feel about different things going on in my life. It helps me to make sense of the tons of different thoughts that swim through my head on a daily basis. It's therapeutic and relaxing. I always come away from it feeling more confident and at peace. Even if I don't have something figured out yet, I feel good about the fact that I will come to a conclusion eventually. Many, if not most, of the posts on this blog have been a result of one of my journal entries.

I took a very important step when I decided to just write whatever thoughts came to my mind as I studied my scriptures each day. I forget when or where I heard it, but someone said that this is how we receive and especially remember revelation. At the same time I tried to establish the habit of always praying for the spirit to be with me as I studied so that I could understand the things I read and be directed to the specific principles that I needed to apply in my life.

Then, I wrote. I decided to stop being held back by the thought, "Is this thought my own or is it the spirit." If it's a good thought, who cares? I decided to start assuming that any good thought I had while reading was important for me to write down, and I began to see patterns. I know that I was directed to pay attention to things I had never considered before. My thoughts were guided to recognize areas in which I needed to improve, or to understand a concept in a different way that added clarity. Not every day of doing this has been a tear-jerking spiritual experience, but many have been. And I know that it always brings the spirit into my life and my home when I make the simple (though not always easy) choice to read and to write.

All three of these journals do exactly what the scripture above says: enlarge my memory. I remember the things I learn, the things I feel, and events in my life better when I record them. I am able to see patterns in my life and to be more self-aware. It reminds me that I must always remember the Lord. I also, hopefully, will help my children and grandchildren remember the importance of remembering the Lord through my journals.