image viaI know I mentioned before that this is the Summer of Yes. At the time it was declared, back in the beginning of June, I was feeling like that was a great idea. I couldn’t wait to see what I could say “yes” to.
Then I had surgery. And the yeses in my life became very restricted. There have been a lot of forced no’s lately. No, I can’t pick that up. No, I can’t walk that far. No, I’m not allowed to carry that. No, I can’t…I have to rest for a while.
You see, as much as I had hoped to jump right back to my regular life {they say you can go back to “normal daily activities” as soon as you feel ready} I really haven’t been able to. When I went to my post-op the surgeon explained how the disc herniation was worse than they thought, since the bulge wasn’t off to the left or right–it was right in the center. He then went into detail about how in order to complete the surgery, he had to stretch and move all of the nerves running through my spinal cord. All of them. Stretched like rubber bands. It makes me queasy to think about it. And apparently, that kind of nerve manipulation will leave you sidelined for quite some time. Bummer. Especially, since my normal daily activities include tearing down walls, building things, tramping through fields on photo shoots, and jostling smiles out of stubborn children.
Okay. There’s that. When I started to thinking of something I could Yes my brain was taken back to a conversation I had had with a friend a few days before surgery. She told me that her 12-year-old cousin had recently memorized an entire book of the Bible. A whole book! 12! I put it off and tried not to think about it. I wanted a different Yes to happen. But this one kept gnawing at me. Could I do that? Would I? Should I?
You know the answer to that. After all, this is the Summer of Yes.
So, finally I gave in and began trying. I even researched a technique for memorizing large chunks of Scripture. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be able to recite an entire book of the Bible by October 13th.
You might be wondering why I said yes to this of all things. It sounds kind of boring, a little tedious, and definitely difficult. Lots of reasons. Let me enlighten you.
First of all, the Bible is the Living Word of God. The more time we spend with it, the more we are opening ourselves up to a deep communion with Him, the easier it is to hear His voice, and understand the possibility He has for us.
Second, Scripture wasn’t written verse by verse. Okay, so in a sense it was. I mean every book is, in a way, is written sentence by sentence. The books of the Bible, like most books, were written–usually–to a specific group of people, to convey a specific message, address an issue, explain something, etc. The content of a book flows, it makes a case, a broad point. Isolating a single verse can be dangerous since a verse’s true meaning often hinges on its context.
It’s easy to take a single verse and quote it and force it’s application to all kinds of circumstances. It’s a better practice to look at a verse in context by reading around it, to understand what is really being said.
And thirdly, when we commit something to memory we root it deeply in ourselves. I still remember the lyrics to songs from a musical I was in in 5th grade. I can recall facts I had to memorize for a science presentation in 6th grade. While those things are useless…memorizing–gaining a deep understanding–of a big chunk of Scripture isn’t. I believe that the more we understand our own beliefs, they easier they are to share with others, they easier they are to explain. I don’t like to spout of a “I think it says in the Bible somewhere–but I don’t know where…” when I’m in a conversation with someone looking for advice. I’d rather really {really} know what I’m talking about…and I think memorizing a book is a good place to start.
Oh, and this is the exciting part. I spent days thinking and praying over which book to choose. I finally settled on Colossians. I’m currently only two days in, but I figure, if I tell you guys it holds me more accountable. I’m using this method…in case any of you would like to try a big passage {doesn’t even have to be a whole book, maybe just a chapter} alongside me. And look–so far I can quote two verses. I pinky swear I’m going to type this next paragraph without looking at a source. Honor code.
1:1 I, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God and our brother Timothy. 1:2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ in Colosse. Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Don’t be too impressed, I have a long way to go.
xo
Amy
