Back when printing involved placing individual letters by hand into the printing press, when this process known as typesetting was done, a galley proof was printed on extra large paper with wide margins so that the typeset page could be compared to the original manuscript to check for any errors. Examining these “proofs” for any errors was called proofreading. If it was found that the typesetter made any errors or deviated from the original manuscript, then the proof would be marked up to indicate the necessary changes and the compositor would go back to the form and swap out any of the incorrect types. Proofreading is necessary because the compositors in charge of preparing the form for print are fallible people who through either negligence or misunderstanding may incorrectly translate the written manuscript to the final form. In our own lives, Jesus is the “author and the finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2). He already knows the best version of our story and if we will place our trust in Him, we can work with Him to make this story a reality. It is still up to us, however, to set the types in the form. A lot of the time, we are confident in our own typesetting skills and just let the press run without pulling any of the proofs to read over and make sure there are no mistakes. But remember, Jesus is both the author, and the finisher of our faith. Not only does He give us the written manuscript that we ought to follow to have a life filled with joy and beauty and meaning, but we can always bring our proofs to Him to make sure that we are interpreting His vision for us correctly. And He will mark up our proofs with the red ink of His precious blood and save us from running an error-filled version of our life’s story.The more that we repent and seek His guidance in proofreading the types that we have set, the better we will understand Christ’s authorial vision for us and the more confident we will become in placing the correct types so that we can live the best version of our lives. “Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.” (Alma 33:19). Christ is the perfect type and as we look to Him, we can set that type more and more perfectly in our Book of Life.
