Larry Tippets wrote:
Tom Mould, an anthropologist not of our faith, spent several years researching and associating with members (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in a North Carolina stake to better understand how Latter-day Saints narrated personal revelation experiences to others. I was impressed by how fully he immersed himself in our culture and how well he grasped the central role of personal revelation in the lives of Church members. He wrote:
Revelation writ large describes all divine communication. Committed to the page, it is scripture. When that revelation comes to leaders and prophets of the church, that scripture is canonical. When it comes to individuals, that scripture is personal. In both cases revelation is a message from God. One’s own revelations taken together are like personalized Bibles, individualized Books of Mormon. (Tom Mould, Still, the Small Voice: Narrative, Personal Revelation, and the Mormon Folk Tradition [Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2011],26)
Personal inspiration, written, becomes personal scripture—the word of God to us.
. . . . closely associated with recording personal revelation, a journal can become a tool for change, for personal growth and character development as we strive to increasingly conform to the image of our Lord and Savior. By recording our desires to improve our lives, we are more likely to remember and act on them. Unless we see clearly what we receive as His disciples, we may stumble in our efforts. Are there other priorities we hold more dear than becoming like Him? If there are we are not His disciple. The essence of learning is not just how we act, but what we are becoming. It is possible to act nice but not really be nice. It is possible to do loving things without being a loving person. It is possible to act spiritual without becoming spiritual. Acting with no intention of becoming is a great burden, and sooner or later we will tire of this “act” and either give up or begin the work of becoming—becoming like our Savior.
All of us have had occasions when we felt highly motivated to improve our lives in some way, perhaps by strengthening our relationship or becoming more diligent in studying the scriptures. Like New Year’s resolutions, the problem is maintaining our intentions with the passage of time. Consequently, many end up repeatedly taking two steps forward then two steps back! A journal can be a powerful means of helping you become more committed and maintaining that resolve until progress becomes evident, not only to yourself but to others. Write about your progress, and added inspiration will come as you make incremental improvement. Write also about your setbacks, for in the process of being honest with yourself and with God, you will receive renewed strength and guidance. Your journal is an instrument for spiritual formation. It will be of no value merely sitting on a shelf. ~Larry W. Tippetts, Receiving Personal Revelation (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2017), 40-42
