President Henry B. Eyring on recognizing God's blessings in our life

President Henry B. Eyring (1933- ) served in the Presiding Bishopric from 1985-1992, as a Seventy from 1992-1995, then was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He has served in the First Presidency since 2007.

"You could try the same thing as you write an entry in your book of remembrance. The Holy Ghost has helped with that since the beginning of time. You remember in the record of Moses it says: 'And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration.' (Moses 6:5.)

"President Spencer W. Kimball described that process of inspired writing: 'Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.' (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, p. 349.)

"As you start to write, you could ask yourself, 'How did God bless me today?' If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life.

"You can choose to remember the greatest gift of all. Next week, you can go to a meeting where the sacrament is administered. You will hear the words, 'Always remember him.' You can pledge to do that, and the Holy Ghost will help you."

- Henry B. Eyring, "Remembrance and Gratitude," General Conference, October 1989
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President Eyring's suggestion that we write in our personal "book of remembrance" promises powerful results.

When I was young, commercial LDS channels heavily marketed something called a "book of remembrance" that was a binder for genealogical research, usually printed on legal-sized pages. We became used to using that title only for that kind of collection. While that is a valid application (remembering our ancestors), I think it served to somewhat limit our scope. As President Eyring describes the concept in this excerpt, a book of remembrance can also be any form of personal writing, whether in a hard-printed journal, or in an electronic format such as a document or even a blog.

One important key, he suggests, is that like Adam we learn to "write by the spirit of inspiration." As we allow the Spirit to direct our personal reflections and then record the impressions that follow, great blessings will result.

President Spencer W. Kimball was a big proponent of writing in journals, and he described the blessings of the "book of remembrance" concept in this way:

I love those points and promises! As we reflect and record impressions, counting our blessings, we will be more likely to remember the Lord in our daily living. And we will be leaving an "inventory of those blessings" for our descendants. How I would love to have more of that kind of record from my ancestors.

President Eyring's very practical suggestion on how to "count our blessings" is perhaps the greatest message of the excerpt for me. Examining our daily life and seeking to identify how God blessed us in the day that just passed not only helps document His hand in our life, but also opens the door to inspiration that will help us learn more about how He blesses us. That brings greater humility and gratitude to us, and is a powerful way to help us always remember Him. I know from my own experience that this is a true principle!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)