RECORD KEEPING IS A LAW?
I can not help but pick up an old suitcase at a thrift store. The old hinges and key locks speak of a time period long ago that carried within someone’s life travels. With my collection of vintage suitcases, I have been stashing old pictures of my ancestors and my children’s pictures in them. I thought it was a cute way to house these pictures, drawings, pedigree charts, etc. as they are from a ‘period’ long ago.
A DIVINE LAW
A month ago when reading in Doctrines of Salvation, by Joseph Fielding Smith, I came across a section all about journaling and the law of record keeping. I thought it was odd to have a chapter on this topic in a book for LDS doctrine so it piqued my interest. I grew up hearing about the importance of “keeping a record”, but just thought it was a nice thing to do, not seeing the eternal perspective on it. This eternal truth was never passed down to me.
Did you know:
- Record keeping is a Divine Law
- Every head of household is responsible to have his records in order
- We will be judged on the books we have written
- We can not depend on the records of the church, or just digital we must have our own copy too.
NOW TO ORGANIZE
So, with this doctrine fresh in my mind, Natalie (our youngest daughter and family historian ) has started organizing all of our records. She is using white binders to house people’s life stories and a binder for each family line. She has collected stories from those who knew Joseph Smith, Reformers, or came from the Mayflower and their stories. Not only are we organizing pictures, but we just started journaling our own personal lives and God’s dealings with our family.
The spirit of our ancestors and their stories have filled our home for weeks now as we have organized these family records. I love hearing the stories as Nat brings her latest finds and shares how that person connects with another. The more we organize the deeper our family roots are going!
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Julie
Julie Smith is the Education Director for the Joseph Smith Foundation. She is the former owner of the Glenn J. Kimber Academy in Lehi, Utah. Julie served as a regional trainer—establishing 18 schools in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah. She is a certified teacher for The Thomas Jefferson Center for Constitutional Restoration (TJC) and taught the Making of America seminars written by W. Cleon Skousen and Glenn J. Kimber. Some of her children also traveled across the nation, assisting in teaching during these seminars. Julie taught history and Book of Mormon classes for 10 years. Julie is the mother of 5 children and grandmother to 7. She homeschooled for over 27 years, working through family challenges including pornography addiction, testimony faith crises, and teenage rebellion. She writes and teaches on strengthening the family, working with troubled youth, practically applying the teachings of scripture and the Prophet Joseph Smith, and celebrating higher standards. In her spare time, Julie also enjoys gardening, managing her .5-acre homestead, and hosting Sunday dinners with her family! Her home is a revolving door of guests and friends as her family hosts cultural celebrations and teaching events.
