Thy word have I hid in my heart

Why have I made it one of my goals to memorize scripture this year?

Reading scripture is good, but the discipline of memorizing, takes it

to a whole new level.  When you memorize something it becomes

yours.  The process of repeating scripture over and over helps

you to understand it in a deeper way.  It's not just in your head,

it's in your heart.  And I want my heart to be full of God's words.

I've noticed in our church, that we encourage the primary age children

to memorize scripture and the Articles of Faith.  Wasn't it President
Kimball who as a child memorized the Articles of Faith while
milking the cows each morning?
The teenagers gather before school each day to have scripture study
and are challenged to memorize the scripture mastery verses.
We do a good job of teaching our children to learn and hopefully
love the scriptures.

But honestly, I think we adults are lazy when it comes to this.

I know I have been in the past.  But I'm changing my ways!!!

As I think about the reasons to memorize scripture, a few
things come immediately to mind.

The more time we spend learning scripture, the more

we learn about Christ and how to become like Him.

We also have a tool to use against Satan and his temptations.

This week, I was reading about Jesus being tempted in the

wilderness and each of the three times he responded

to Satan by quoting scripture.  Not pulling out scripture and 

reading it,  but quoting what was in his heart. Old Testament
passages that I'm sure he learned as a young boy.
What a powerful lesson for us.

I also love it when someone comforts or encourages

me with scripture.  I want to be able to do that for others

and it's easier to do when you have passages committed 

to memory.

So, I want to share a little method I've been using to help me

with my memory work.  This is from Charlotte Mason.  She
was a British educator in the late 1800's and many home schoolers
use her methods today.  This idea for memorizing is simple and
effective.
 A little warning:  It looks complicated, but it's not!  Once you
set up your box, it is easy to use each day.

First you need a 3x5 index card box.  I keep mine on the
shelf in my bathroom, because this is where I use it each
day. I'm on the lookout for a pretty box, but this one is
working for now.  I do my memory work while I'm getting
ready in the morning - doing hair and make up.  I spend maybe
10 - 15 minutes a day doing this.
This is how the box is set up.

Inside the box, you need divider cards with the following
written on them
1 - Daily
1 - Odd
1 - Even
1-  with each of the days of the week written on them (so that's 7 cards)
31 - cards with the numbers 1 - 31 written on them

Behind the Daily tab will be the scripture you are currently

working on memorizing.   So everyday, you will pull this

one out first and go over it.  It doesn't matter how many days

it takes you to memorize it.  It's not a race (unless you want it

to be).  You will eventually have it memorized.

Now, depending on the date, you will pull out the scripture

behind the odd or even tab.    Today is the 17th ( an odd number

day), so I would pull out the scripture behind the odd number

tab, next and recite it.  This is a scripture that I've already learned,

so I'm just reviewing it.

Next we go to the tabs with the days of the week on them.

Depending on the day, you pull out the scripture from behind

that tab and review it.  (you've already memorized it.)  Today

I would pull out the scripture behind Thursday.

Lastly, you go to the numbered tabs and pull the scripture out

from behind the tab that matches that days date.  Today I would

pull out the scripture from behind the tab 17 and review it.

(Don't let the picture confuse you - I took it on a different day)

So- you are going over 4 different scriptures or scripture passages

each day.  One that you are currently memorizing and the other

three are just review - so you don't forget what you've learned.

The whole process takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes depending on

how much time you want to spend on the daily scripture.  You 

may want to go over it several times.  The other 3, you'll 

probably only say one time each.  You already know them

right?

When you first start this system - you will only have one 

card and it will be behind the daily tab.  It will be the one you

are memorizing.  Once you've mastered it , you move it

back one tab and add a new card behind daily with a new

scripture you are ready to learn.  Then you will have two

scriptures to go over each day and you build up your box

in this way as you learn, always moving cards back as you add

a new one to the daily tab.

It takes a while to get your box filled up.  I have been doing

this for months now and I still don't have cards behind

all the numbered tabs.  I will eventually.

I'm also memorizing hymns and primary songs.  I keep the

cards with the words to the song I'm learning at my kitchen sink 

and I practice these while I wash dishes each day.

After I've learned a song, I add these to my black box and they

become a part of my rotation of review cards.  If you do this,

it takes a little longer each day to work through the box, because

it takes longer to sing a song than to recite a scripture.  But I

love learning the words to the hymns.

So thats all there is to it.  Have I totally confused you?

I hope not, because I love this method and it's working

for me.  Maybe you would like to try it for yourself.

"Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might 

          not sin against thee."      Psalm 119: 11

*Goal # 42   - Memorize 50 scriptures