WFMW: Scripture Memorization

It is so very important to memorize Scripture. Sometimes, being in “safe” Western cultures, we think we don’t need to commit verses to memory because we can always look it up. We’re not under fierce persecution; we always have Bibles available. While this may be true in part, there is no substitution for having God’s Word tucked safely in our hearts. Scripture is valuable to our everyday life. Knowing its power, why wouldn’t we want to memorize it?

That’s all fine and good. We can agree whole-heartedly and shout our “Amen!”s from the balcony. The tough part is not the reasons, but the method. How do we actually do it? How do we keep all the verse organized? How do we keep from forgetting them? And how do we get our kids to do it?

Here’s what works for us.

WHAT: What verses do you memorize? Where do you start?

All Scripture is God-breathed (1 Timothy 3:16); all of it is useful for edification, so you can start anywhere! For our family verses, Rick and I pick them, then we all learn them as a a family. Sometimes it’s a favorite verse we want the kids to know, like John 3:16 or Romans 3:23. Sometimes we choose verse based on specific issues in our family, like Joshua 1:9 (to help the kids overcome fear) or Philippians 2:14 (to combat complaining hearts). As soon as we get one down, we start on the next. We’ve chosen to memorize everything in NIV (New International Version) because this is the version our school uses. Hopefully this will help the kids as they advance and have to memorize for classes. If we’ve already learned some of the homework verses, they won’t have to re-memorize in the preferred translation.

Another way to memorize is by book.  Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly is memorizing the whole book of James in 2009 and has challenged her readers to do the same. (I mentioned it a couple months ago.) By the way, you really should visit her site (click here!!) to learn more about WHY we should memorize Scripture. She’s written it much better than I could. While living in Bosnia, I memorized the book of Philippians. It’s such a great exercise! And those letters, those verses, will come back to you when you need them.

WHEN: When do you do it?

We work on our verses during dinner and review them again at bedtime. I also work on them with the kids whenever we’re stuck somewhere waiting: in the doctor’s office, the lobby of the Chinese take-out place, at red lights … wherever, really! We’re intentional about it, but we also work on it whenever we encounter a lull throughout the day. Kids learn best by repetition, so the more you work on it, the faster they’ll learn it.

HOW: How do you get the kids to learn it? How do you keep it organized? How do you keep from forgetting some?

Kids learn very quickly. Just think about all the shows they can quote or the silly songs they learn from friends. They won’t have trouble learning Scripture, if you make it a priority to teach them. If you have trouble, get a little creative. I’ve made up tunes, chants and motions for a few of our verses. Whenever Zach gets stuck on James 1:19, I sing just two little notes, and he’s got the rest of the verse in no time.

To keep our verses organized and actually remembered, I  use a couple tools. First, this nifty notecard thing from RealSimple. (Yes, I’m becoming more like Martha everyday. ) I use this for our family verses.

It’s not terribly pretty, but it’s functional. And one of these days I’ll pull out my stamps and cute papers and beautify it. In the meantime, it works great! Inside are lined, perforated cards organized by color.

You could use the colors (yellow, red, green, blue) to separate verses by topic: salvation, encouragement, love, etc., if you like. Or designate one color for each member of your family so you can chart progress or work on different verses chosen by that person. The silver bolt in the corner is actually a screw. You can unscrew it and reorganize without have to tear out pages. The whole thing is small, fits perfectly in my purse, a kitchen drawer, wherever we want to keep it. I like having Scripture posted around my house, but when you get up to 20-30 verses, it starts to be more like wallpaper than a reminder. It’s nice to have so much condensed into a small, neat package.

So that’s what I use for our family.

For my personal memorization goals, I use this Verse Purse from Palmetto Handmade. (Apparently green is my color for Scripture memorization. Both of these items are available in other colors and patterns.)

This fits neatly in the smallest handbags. In fact, I take it everywhere with me. The little loop on the side is perfect for attaching to key chains.

The verses are printed on business cards. You can print your own or order them from Palmetto. She has a ton of great packs available: Love & Marriage, Faith, Heaven, Friendship, ABC’s, Proverbs 31 and many more. You can even request what you want, and she’ll make them for you. She’s great! (You can visit Kristi’s site at Good Like a Medicine.)

So, that’s what works for us. Get more real life tips during Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.