I desire to be the kind of woman who starts her day with Jesus and a cup of coffee. I have no kids pulling at my attention before the break of dawn, just the desire to catch more zzz’s and snuggle in close to my hubby {and check my email and instagram}. I have no excuse but to spend my mornings at the feet of Jesus and all the greatness he has for me.
Why is this so much easier said than done? I was created to know God, love God and share God’s love; how can I be too busy for such a great thing he has called me to do? I know that mornings spent in the word bring me so much peace, yet I’m so easily distracted by my work, the dishes, email, Instagram, and the list goes on. But my never-ending to-do list is no match for Him. Without him, I will be consumed by to-do’s.
A couple years ago, a good friend encouraged me to memorize one verse of scripture a week. I thought it sounded like a good idea so I started randomly picking verses that resonated with me, mostly Psalms and Proverbs verses.
I still remember the first verse I ever memorized, actually it wasn’t even a full verse but a fragment Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body…”
I’m not sure if it was the challenge of memorizing scripture or the peace I found in meditating on scripture, but I found that not only did I enjoy this but I often called upon the verses I had memorized to get me through daily struggles. I loved how scripture memorization had impacted me so much that I made it part of my online training programs.
I loved physically having scripture cards in my hand, using them as book markers, placing them on my keyboard as a daily reminder to spend time in the word before checking my email.
So when that same friend who introduced me to scripture memorization, Carly, launched a scripture card memorization challenge, I knew I wanted in. I mean, my competitive nature is always up for a challenge. And it was scripture memorization with a purpose. A purpose to donate a bible to Future Hope Haiti {you can read more about them here}. Ultimately they provide bibles to the people of Haiti, but they don’t just hand out Bibles, they have a Bible program. In order to receive a bible from Future Hope you are required to memorize nine Bible verses, word for word.
ps – did you know that purchasing a Bible in Haiti is equivalent to paying $500?!
So I accepted the challenge. I purchased CarlyDDesign’s nine scripture cards {here}. And memorized all nine verses in less than a month which was my goal! As a result, Carly will be sending funds to Future Hope, to donate a bible in my honor. You can read more about why Carly created the challenge here.
Now I challenge you to truly accept this challenge too.
Yes, it feels warm and fuzzy on the inside to say I made a difference, I memorized the verses to donate a bible. But in reality, the greatest difference happened in me. This challenge has taught me that i don’t pray to get God’s attention, rather I pray and meditate on scripture to give God my attention. We were created to know God, love God and share God’s love with others.
If you’re new to scripture memorization and this challenge seems overwhelming {like it did to me}, know that you just have to start somewhere. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” {Zechariah 4:10}
And because I’m always looking for new verses to memorize, comment below with your favorite verse.
Lindsey, I have so enjoyed reading your blog!
I just ordered a copy for myself and my sister of 31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer Devotional by The Well Studio. Thanks for the recommendation above! 🙂
Christina! Yay, thanks for following along! And I love that you ordered the 31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer & Doer it’s seriously one of my favorites, I go back to it all the time! Can’t wait to chat about it when I see you next! Have a great day! xo-Lindsey
Love this idea, Lindsay! Last year, I struggled to keep up with regular time in the Word because I did something big every time. This year, I’ve started slow with just a She Reads Truth devo each morning and it’s been going so well. I think Scripture memorization is the same way – start small and see a big changes!
Jen! I love She Reads Truth too — glad it helps you stay on track. Yes, it’s amazing what spending time in the word everyday can do to your heart and mind…it’s so easy to do, but so easy not to do too. I feel like you would also love the 31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer Devotional by The Well Studio — check it out!
very cool idea! to be honest I’ve been away from the word for quite some time, but I do love the idea of having a daily or weekly intention to keep yourself grounded and focused on what’s important. while not a bible verse, the intention i’ve been meditating on lately is the quote: “quite often our affinity for perfection of getting it ‘just right’ prohibits us from actually doing it.” {joshua fields millburn} – very similar to zachariah 4:10!
Somer! Yes, I told Carly I selfishly want her to do another challenge because it was so great for my accountability to be in the word not only daily, but multiple times a day! I love, love, love the quote you’ve been meditating on — so true. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that sometimes done is better than perfect! Thanks for sharing. -xo-Lindsey