The principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot change us if we do not remember them.
Almost everyone has lost something important—car keys, a cell phone, that thing you just know you saw five minutes ago. The search becomes frantic as memory fades. Then finally, it clicks. Memories come rushing back. The lost item is now found. We remember.
The word “remember” appears 161 times in the Book of Mormon, evidence of the need for constant spiritual strength to remember our path, plan, and perfect example, Jesus Christ.
In a BYU devotional titled “Remember,” Elder Steven E. Snow of the First Quorum of the Seventy emphasizes the importance of keeping records and putting the most important things in life first. Elder Snow says that “we gain strength from the stories of those who have gone before.” He talks about things we should remember, including family, service, and spiritual experiences.
Elder Snow quotes President Spencer W. Kimball, who once promised that if people kept good journal records, their words would be a “source of great inspiration.”
Elder Snow’s article encourages us to remember and live gospel principles and act in faith on these principles. When we do so, we’ll receive new spiritual experiences that will add to our happiness.
“Remember to enjoy the journey,” Elder Snow says. “Stay strong and stay close to the Spirit so you might be blessed with future spiritual experiences that will strengthen and enrich your faith.”
By remembering the Savior, we remember more about who we are. And others stand with Elder Snow in emphasizing this idea.
Elder Snow finishes his talk by encouraging all to remember spiritual experiences and to “live the gospel, teach your family gospel principles, and be a good example to them.”
Read Elder Snow’s thoughts about remembering the important things in life.
Source: BYU Speeches
—Jenna Koford, Mormon Insights
For more insights
Read or watch a general conference talk by President Henry B. Eyring titled “O Remember, Remember.”
Feature photo of father and son courtesy of LDS Media Library.
Over the years I’ve realized how incredibly important journals are–for remembering things that i’ve learned and the things that I’ve felt during certain experiences. As I look back on my journal entries, I’m grateful to be able to recall things that I had forgotten I had even experienced, and it immediately brings that same spirit back. I loved this talk as a reminder that we are indeed human (and therefore forget things extremely quickly).