On Memorization
Recently, a few of my brothers and I set out to memorize the book of Ephesians. Man, that was four months ago…
Day 1: Motivated
Day 2: Still Motivated
Day 3: Ready to quit
Day 30: This is going to take forever
Day 60: Second wind – I can do this
Day 90: Maybe I can just quit at chapter five. That’s good, right? Five chapters…
Last week: Wow, I can’t believe I finished.
This is what was going through my mind and, for most people who attempt to memorize scripture, this will probably sound familiar. At times you feel motivated. At times you feel prideful. At times you feel lazy. At times you feel lazi(er) than you thought you could feel. Quitting is something you often consider. Discipline is something you often pray for. A friend is something you NEED. Bad. From one imbecile who fought the good fight, here are some things I think might be helpful for you to keep in mind as you attempt to commit Gods Holy Word to your heart:
1. Do it with a friend that you KNOW will follow through.
2. Make reasonable goals (e.g. One verse a day for the first two weeks, two verses a day for the next two weeks, etc.)
3. Give yourself rest days (e.g. every seventh day is a day for review; no new verses).
4. Pray. Pray for God’s grace. The odds are, most of you aren’t used to committing large chunks of ancient literature to memory, verbatim. You need some grace to empower your discipline.
5. Recite the verses quickly and in your head while memorizing, but make sure you review out loud. Trust me, you’ll think you’re good, but when you go to recite your verses, you’ll sound like Rain Man as you read the text.
6. Celebrate milestones! For me that meant celebrating after every chapter and making a HUGE deal out of finishing up chapter six of Ephesians. It’s OK to celebrate! You’re not being prideful (maybe…). The fact that you committed a book of the Bible to memory is a huge evidence of God’s grace; that’s something to celebrate!!! YAY!!!
7. Suck it up. Some days you just…will…NOT feel like doing your verses. Long day at work? Crying baby? Wife in labor? Just kidding… Seriously though. Some days you just have to suck it up and get some white-knuckled discipline.
8. Study the text as you commit it to memory. I got a great commentary on Ephesians and studied along as I went. Not every day. Not every verse. But enough days/verses to really keep me drinking from the well of God’s Word, not merely as an intellectual pursuit, but as a worshipful experience.
9. Remember, not everybody is as excited about it as you are. Sometimes your excitement can be perceived as a sort of ‘looking-down-the-nose’ at your brothers and sisters. Celebrate by all means!!! But don’t be that guy ALWAYS talking about how you are memorizing a book of the Bible. We know. We get it. You’re a better Christian than we are…let’s move on.
