If You Don't Write It Down, It Never Happened

 Have you ever had this brilliant thought or idea but did not take the time or have a means to write it down?  Sometimes I will read or hear something that gives me an idea for an article or sermon thinking I will remember only to forget it when I need to recall it.

The great theologian, preacher, and writer Hershel Hobbs grew up in my home county Chilton and was the principal writer of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message.  He said that he would take time to write himself notes when he heard or thought of something inspiring.  He had a great system writing books.  He wrote his books one thought, or sentence, at a time.  Sometimes he wrote a paragraph a time.  My system is I write at one sitting.

I often get inspiration from reading, from everyday occurrences, from hearing sermons, and from observing people.  Sometimes things happen that I never forget and at other times, I quickly forget them.

Year ago, as I entered the carport, I reminded myself that I needed to purchase some new filters for the air-conditioner system for our home in Jemison.  I stopped and giggled, remembering that the house was no longer there losing it to the fire in July 2012.  I remember minute details of every part of the house.  Now these things are memories of something that no longer exists.

I can close my eyes and see the cement plant and the area where I operated the cement kilns.  I see the handrails, the overhead hoists, the catwalk, and the kilns rotating as a roaring flame blazes within them.  These no longer exist.  Now, they are images of my mind or details of something that I write.

There are multitudes of things I experienced that I wish I had captured them on film, in a recording, or just took the time to write about them. Often, there was no availability of pencil and paper.  Words of inspiration need to be penned or etched in our minds, but also written down.

Failure to pass down words of inspiration deprives society of motivation, stimulation, and encouragement.  Reading this article you may recall the words from people long ago that inspire you today.  Remember, if no one takes the initiative to write down an occurrence, over time it is lost, embellished, becomes legend, or is distorted.  Most nations fail because they do not read history.

Have you ever noticed how you cannot recall an event or a person then suddenly something triggers your memory and all at once your minds floods with total recall of the experience.

Many Sundays ago, I preached homecoming at a former church.  While I was pastor there, the church built a family life center.  The congregation did most of the work.  The church experienced some electrical problems.  A member of the buildings and grounds called me to see if I knew where the schematics for the electricity were located.  I helped do the wiring.  There was no electrical blueprint.  What we had were hand drawn by a member, Richard, of the building committee 29 years ago.  Richard died several years ago, and no one knew where they were.  I told the building grounds member that Richard had folded them and placed them on top of the control panel.  There were unsuccessful in locating them.

The Sunday of my visit, they inquired again as to the schematics whereabouts.  I went to the control panel and over the past 29 years, someone moved them to an adjacent piece of ductwork.  I could see Richard folding the schematics and saying to me, “I’m putting these here so if we have to work on the wiring, we won’t have to look for them.” 

God created us to respond to sight, sound, touch, and smell which trigger or memory.  Every time I smell fresh cut pine timber, I think of cutting and loading pulpwood or helping frame a new house.  When I smell yeast rolls cooking, I think of the lunchroom at Jemison High School or Ms. Ruby Smith’s, a friend from Houston, Texas, cinnamon rolls.  Now that I have written of them, once held captive, these moments are released to create encouragement.

Transferring a thought or an idea to someone or making a hard copy takes a moment.  We live life in magnificent moments.  Those that capture those moments provide us with guidance and tangible snippets enabling us to face the uncertainties of life.  A moment of collecting thoughts can become a way of life or the change of course for those that are inspired by it.

One time I was looking for information for the insurance company in settlement of losing the house.  I found momma's last will and testament.  For a few moments, I revisited some things momma wanted done at her death.  Captured with ink on paper by my sister were some of the last words that momma spoke.

Hand drawn schematics, last will and testaments, notes scribbled on paper assist to jog our memory.  Words of inspiration are diverse in origin.  God’s Word is the greatest source for inspiration.  I am glad that the writers of our Bible took time to scribe God’s Word for us to read.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (John 20:30-31 KJV).

PS:  When I started this article, I could not recall any thing inspiring.