"And behold, all things are written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall the world be judged."
3 Nephi 27:26
Before this verse it encourages the people to write: "Write the things which ye have seen and heard" (verse 23), unless the Lord has forbidden it, and then it mentions this. I think it is interesting that even knowing that God is recording *everything* that it still asks us to write as well. Why? I'm really not sure, but I have some ideas.
Scriptures come from regular people, writing their experiences. God works through us to accomplish his purposes... and even if what we write doesn't become part of a major work of scripture, it can impact our friends, our families, and even our relatives many generations after we lived. What happened to us can inspire someone years from now, even if our lives were really hard... we can give them tips on endurance and faith. :)
Part of writing it working it out in our minds. It's easier to gloss over things when they are just thoughts, and set them aside... but when we write and see it on the page, in some ways it forces us to confront the idea and think it out a little more, because we're making that process permanent instead of just not thinking about it. So part of it is for us, to ponder and figure out what it really is that we think, and want, and choose to be.
I think maybe it is also about perspective. We read about Jonah and him not wanting to preach to Nineveh, and running away, and being swallowed, and being miserable... and that perspective, with so much honest fear and resentment and reluctance... that reminds us of ourselves. God is perfect. He would likely write the story much differently from his own perspective, but he knows that we need to hear from others, so that we can learn how to overcome things that imperfect people experience. :) (That of course doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to be better.)
Today, let's write, even though God is also writing it all. It's following his pattern, and maybe it will help us get on the same page. Maybe it will help us think through some things. Maybe it will help someone else. Let's give it a try. :)
3 Nephi 27:26
Before this verse it encourages the people to write: "Write the things which ye have seen and heard" (verse 23), unless the Lord has forbidden it, and then it mentions this. I think it is interesting that even knowing that God is recording *everything* that it still asks us to write as well. Why? I'm really not sure, but I have some ideas.
Scriptures come from regular people, writing their experiences. God works through us to accomplish his purposes... and even if what we write doesn't become part of a major work of scripture, it can impact our friends, our families, and even our relatives many generations after we lived. What happened to us can inspire someone years from now, even if our lives were really hard... we can give them tips on endurance and faith. :)
Part of writing it working it out in our minds. It's easier to gloss over things when they are just thoughts, and set them aside... but when we write and see it on the page, in some ways it forces us to confront the idea and think it out a little more, because we're making that process permanent instead of just not thinking about it. So part of it is for us, to ponder and figure out what it really is that we think, and want, and choose to be.
I think maybe it is also about perspective. We read about Jonah and him not wanting to preach to Nineveh, and running away, and being swallowed, and being miserable... and that perspective, with so much honest fear and resentment and reluctance... that reminds us of ourselves. God is perfect. He would likely write the story much differently from his own perspective, but he knows that we need to hear from others, so that we can learn how to overcome things that imperfect people experience. :) (That of course doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to be better.)
Today, let's write, even though God is also writing it all. It's following his pattern, and maybe it will help us get on the same page. Maybe it will help us think through some things. Maybe it will help someone else. Let's give it a try. :)
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