Inspired People

It's amazing to me how much the Lord inspires His children when He has things that He needs them to do.

We went to the Special Collections section in the library for D&C class last week, and the man lecturing taught us about the origin of many of the books that they have in the Special Collections. He showed us ancient papyrus manuscripts, some of the earliest translations of the Bible into English, examples of the first books to be printed with a printing press, and some first edition copies of the Book of Commandments (the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants) and the Book of Mormon. As he taught us about what happened historically to bring about the evolution of books and printing and literacy, I kept thinking of how important these developments were to the growth of dozens of cultures and societies, Christianity, and the Restoration of the gospel as it was when Christ was on the earth. None of these things could have happened without the aid and enhancement that the printed word provides. These books and pamphlets were how Christians and early Latter-day Saints learned the doctrines of their religions, not to mention how they gained any kind of secular knowledge or education. Heavenly Father needs His children to learn and grow in order for Him to be able to use them as His instruments. And when He helps inspired men like Gutenberg, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and all the other religious leaders who helped bring forth these important documents, His children can learn and grow and draw closer to Him. What a gift--He inspires His children to find ways to draw near to Him and to help others do the same. :)