NT 3: The Written Word

President Spencer W. Kimball once said that perhaps the most important word in the English language is remember.
We write and make records so that we will remember.

As I visited BYU's Special Collections in the bottom floor of the library, I was in awe at the records that have been kept and preserved over time. The effort that has been put into books in the past is incredible. Looking at the perfect calligraphy of a Bible from the 1400s, I thought back to the hours and hours that monks spent forming each and every letter of the Holy Scriptures. They would sew pages together made out of animal skins. Only 2-3 sheets of paper could come from one animal skin, usually from a small or unborn calf. The parchment created from those skins was the most valuable piece of the book. Each line of writing is carefully executed, and the illuminated manuscript contains beautiful gold engravings and pictures. This bible took eleven years to complete.
Eleven years.
I don't know about you, but I don't think I would want to dedicate eleven years of my life in inscribing print on a bunch of animal skins in a darkened room while wearing an itchy robe. Not my cup of tea.

But they did, they worked day after day to create this book. They created something beautiful, something meaningful, something to remember the word of God by.

The work, the time, the effort--for the purpose of remembering.
It made me realize I should be listening to the word of the Lord to me personally, and taking the time to write my impressions down. If it seems difficult or I am too tired, it might be helpful to think of the monks who spent years preserving the word of the Lord. I can take five minutes. Elder Scott said taking the time to write down our impressions invites more revelation. Who doesn't need more of God's word in their life.

It is easy to see that the real value of the Bible isn't in the expensive hides, the beautiful illumination, the gold letters. The true value for us is in the ability the words have to bring us closer to God.

We find strength through the scriptures and through personal revelation because they testify of the Savior. The scriptures, the word of God, will carry us through all the storms of life because it will bring us to Him. And truly, what could be more valuable to us than that?