Reading Journals

I first ran across Elders Belnap's Autobiography almost a year ago. At the time I could barely understand most of what he was describing. Places and names were unfamiliar and obscure. And the abbreviations and misspellings made it even more difficult. I'm glad I didn't have to work my way through the handwriting too. But now, I have learned a great deal about the people of the Cane Creek area. Even the places are familiar. So now, as I read through Elder Belnap's writings, I find familiar places and people. And reading it is more like reading about someone I knew personally.


I shared this with a friend of mine who pointed out this is what reading Isaiah is like. We are told that Isaiah is important for us to understand. That it is relevant to us today. People read Isaiah and don't understand it. Of course that isn't too surprising. It was written over 2700 years ago. But once you know the background, know the people, the places, the metaphors, and the style, the meaning becomes clear.