Keeping a History

How do you document your life?

I keep a paper journal. Admittedly, it has its disadvantages: it’s difficult to search, my handwriting isn’t always easily decipherable, and each new volume takes up space on my bookshelf. Still, for me there’s something meaningful about holding the book and capturing the events of the day in pen and ink.

What to write about? It’s not always obvious. The importance of some events only becomes evident over time, and many days seem rather ordinary.

In an 1832 letter to W. W. Phelps, Joseph Smith lists some things to include in a church history:

It is the duty of the Lord’s clerk, whom he has appointed, to keep a history, and a general church record of all things that transpire in Zion, and of all those who consecrate properties, and receive inheritances legally from the bishop;

And also their manner of life, their faith, and works; and also of the apostates who apostatize after receiving their inheritances.

Doctrine and Covenants 85:1-2

Here’s how I would convert these categories of content into journal prompts:

• Important events (“All things that transpire in Zion”): Has something important happened recently that you haven’t recorded? Take a moment and write about it while it’s still fresh on your mind.
• Sacrifices (“Those who consecrate properties …”): What have you given to the Lord recently to show your love and reverence for Him?
• Blessings received (“… and receive inheritances”): What has the Lord given you? What tender mercies did you notice today?
• Daily activities (“Their manner of life”): Describe the way you do something in a bit of detail. Imagine you’re writing for someone who knows nothing about your daily life, and who may live in another country with a different culture.
• Your testimony (“Their faith …”): What convictions do you hold most dear? Why do you trust God, and how does that trust help you deal with the challenges you currently face?
• Your goals (“… and works”): Where are you investing your time and energy, and how are you seeing the fruits of those efforts?
• Your challenges (“And also of the apostates”): I think the Lord is saying, Don’t sugar-coat things. Make your history honest. If there’s a rift in a relationship, acknowledge it. If something isn’t going so well, tell us how you feel about it. The people who read your history, including your future self, will want to know the truth.

Nephi kept two sets of records—one with “a full account of the history of [his] people,” and the other focused on his ministry (1 Nephi 9:2-3). The first set of plates, which are not included in the Book of Mormon, included “the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of [his] people,” while the second set contained “the more part of the ministry” (1 Nephi 9:4). However, Nephi explained that both sets of plates were important. “I do not write anything upon plates,” he said, “save it be that I think it be sacred” (1 Nephi 19:6).

When we really appreciate the sacredness of the details of our lives, we will be more inclined to write about even seemingly ordinary experiences. We will write candidly even about painful events, with hope and trust that God is leading us through them.

Today, I will make a detailed entry in my journal. I will write about my “manner of life,” my faith, my goals, and my challenges. I will acknowledge the hand of God in my life and the sacredness of my mortal experience.