“And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.” (1 Nephi 1:3). A lot of us hesitate to write down our thoughts, feelings, impressions, inspirations or promptings from the Holy Ghost because we are afraid that our notes and diaries and journals will not be less than perfect. We might feel that our writing skills are not particularly good, or we don’t have the right kind of notebook, or the right kind of pen. We may spend many hours searching for the perfect note-taking system, or try out different apps or computer programs and never find one that fits quite right. But Nephi shows us the way. As long as what we are writing is true, and we make it with our own hands, according to our own knowledge, then it will be enough. After all, plenty of people have thrown criticisms at the writing style of Nephi and his fellow Book of Mormon contributors. I think one person said if you take all of the “And it came to pass-es” out of the Book of Mormon you’d be left with something the size of a pamphlet. But these faithful servants of God made a record that was true, with their own hands, according to their own knowledge, and with all of its imperfections, the Book of Mormon is nonetheless one of the most powerful books ever written. The Lord doesn’t expect all of us to write at the same level as F Scott Fitzgerald or Leo Tolstoy. He just wants us to write down the truths that we comprehend with our own hands according to our own knowledge. If we consistently strive to record the inspiration that we receive from the Holy Ghost, then our capacity to perceive the truth and our ability to capture it in words that are clear and fluent will grow until eventually our the words we write will become powerful and mighty. I can testify that in my own efforts over the past three years to make a record that is true, with my own hand according to my knowledge, I have already seen the Lord bless me with an increased capacity to perceive and understand and to put into words eternal truths with greater clarity and fluency than I could have imagined possible, and I am sure that if I continue in my efforts that my ability and knowledge will grow every day a little bit stronger.
