To me, there really isn’t anything sweeter than an accomplished goal. Dreaming big is fun. But imaginings are much sweeter when they come to fruition. I’ve got some far out goals that are a loooong way from being reached, so in the mean time, I’ll savor every mini-goal that comes up along the way.
Last month Derek and I officially reached a goal. We finished memorizing Colossians. A whole book of the Bible now lives in my head. I know it’s a short book, but now I know the whole thing by heart. Yes, there were hard days. There were days when I didn’t memorize anything at all. There were days when the spiritual warfare that comes along with an undertaking like this was hard–so hard I wanted to throw in the towel. But by the grace of God, we did it.
I’ve done a lot of really cool stuff in my life. Like, really cool. But I’ll admit this is one of the coolest, and best ways I’ve ever spent my time. So tonight I thought I’d lay out some of the things I’ve learned any why I enjoyed this process so much.
Dwelling on the right stuff. Philippians 4:8 tells us to let our minds dwell on the right stuff. I’m constantly surrounded by people, TV, books, and talk radio. I try my hardest to be intentional about what I let my mind consume. I’m incredibly prone to dwell on worries and woes–but while we memorized Colossians I spent a lot of time dwelling on the right stuff. In an attempt to keep it all in my brain, I’d go over the verses–sometimes multiple times a day. This calmed me, refocused my thoughts and allowed me to meditate on His word all day long.
Filling up dead space. In my day there are chunks of time where I’m alone with my thoughts. Whether that’s while I’m out on a walk, going on my weekly ice skating excursion, or while I’m driving–there are times when it’s just me and whatever is in my head. Instead of using this time to stress or worry, I go over all four chapters of Colossians. It takes about 30 minutes and I always feel refreshed.
A better understanding. Because we were going over the same verses day after day, only adding one new verse every day {sometimes every few days toward the end}, it gave me a chance to really think about every word in every verse. The big picture context came into focus as more verses were added–but this process allowed me to zero in on the importance of every verse.
Quotable quotations. Since I was dwelling on the words and thinking deeply about their meaning, verses were on the tip of my brain–just begging to be quoted in everyday conversation. I can’t even begin to count the number of times a Colossians verse has come in handy in the past few months. The verses come to mind easily and I’ve found that the context {as well and individual verses} have been very useful as I’ve prayed for people, prayed aloud, encouraged, and fielded questions about my faith.
In the past, sometimes when addressing a tough question or situation my mind would go blank for Scripture–even though I knew it was in there somewhere. With four chapters fresh in my mind, I am finding these moments less intimidating and my mind drawing fewer blanks.
BFF. This process stretched Derek and me both mentally and spiritually in a new way that moved us closer to God and closer to each other. It was a great time of holding each other accountable and encouraging each other on days when we didn’t “feel” like memorizing. {It’s really cool that there was never a day when we both felt that way. When one was slacking off, the other was quick to insist that we at least go over everything we had learned so far.} It’s really cool to have shared this process and victory with someone.
Being vulnerable. Memorizing Colossians wasn’t all rainbows and ponies and fun times. It was hard. Not just mentally hard. It was also spiritually taxing. God loves it when we study His word, spend time with Him and hide His wisdom in our hearts…but Satan hates it. The spiritual attack I encountered while memorizing Colossians was one of the biggest I’ve ever faced. BUT–I wouldn’t change it for the world. As cruel as the attack felt–God’s grace is greater, He is mightier. We made it through and God has blessed us for persevering. Better Praying. Paul is an expert on prayer. Within the book of Colossians {and the other books he wrote too} there are great examples of how to pray, what to pray for, how to word your prayers, and how to pray with expectation. Ever since I started memorizing, my prayers have changed. Paul leads by example and he is a great example to follow.It’s left me wanting more. Until we set this goal, I didn’t see myself as much of a Scripture memorizer. I have verses committed to memory. I like memorizing, but it wasn’t my favorite Bible-related activity…and I didn’t prioritize it like I should have. Now, I see that I can memorize big chunks of Scripture as long as I attack it with a plan. We haven’t started in on another book and I’m not sure we’ll do another one in the near future…but I’m wanting more. I’m anxious to select another passage or chapter to begin memorizing.I know I can do it. As we move forward I’m confident in my ability to memorize Scripture, but I’m also confident in your ability. Really, if we can do it–so can you. I started memorizing when a friend told me her 12 year old cousin memorized a whole book of the Bible. I thought, “If a 12 year old can do it, so can I.” I want you to have that same mentality. Memorizing a big chunk of Scripture {or even a small bit} is so worth your time! Most days it didn’t even take more than 15 minutes {the longest it ever took was 30}. It’s doable and I challenge you to give it a try.Amy
