Day 52 Words of Wisdom

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Never stop memorizing scripture!

Well, it's the last day of the quest that I began on my 52nd birthday. I'm not sure if you learned anything new, were encouraged by something you already knew, or were in some way entertained by the ramblings of this old lady, but I must admit that I enjoyed writing them! I also found it helpful to review some of the things I've learned during my years of growing up and growing older. Thanks for sticking with me these last 7+ weeks!

This last word is a reminder that memorizing Bible verses is not just for children. God's Word is what guides our lives. The Psalmist even describes it as a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). Think of the Bible as your spiritual flashlight!

As important as the Bible is for moment-by-moment guidance it would seem reasonable that we should be committing it to memory to light those dark paths. And make no mistake! When Psalm 23 says that we walk through the valley of the shadow of death it isn't talking about the time immediately before we die. Each of us is walking through that valley right. this. very. moment. Need a light to help you see your way through it? That would be the Bible.

Aging and other um, life changes can make it harder to memorize scripture. I've found that putting verses to music can help. Or sometimes I'll pull out a recorded Bible version (we used to have a fantastic Alexander Scourby version on cassette tapes that is now available in mp3 format) and listen to someone else read it repeatedly. Or I'll take out pen and paper and dictate it to myself just to see if I can do it correctly. I'm one of those teachers who believes that we all have a learning style and you probably already know what yours is. I require a little bit of everything: auditory, visual, and kinetic.

There are so many silly songs and thoughts rattling around in my head that prove that repetition of the kind above works for me. If product advertising utilizing commercial brand logos and accompanying jingles can get me to memorize something whether I want to or not I know that the process will work with scripture memorization as well.

So maybe your Sunday School class no longer has a sticker chart for you that shows that you've said your memory verse this week but I'd like to encourage you to secretly make one for yourself, find a verse each week (or month, if that's more do-able), and get busy memorizing. It is my intention to do the same so maybe we can encourage each other along the way.