Disciplines of the Faith : Memorization

            I find memorization to be one of the most challenging disciplines of the faith.  Well, for that fact so is prayer, oh and fasting and…. Ok ok so maybe it’s the discipline part I have a problem with when considering disciplines of faith.  Anyway, just recently, our Kings Character program, which is our children’s Wednesday night program, put out a challenge to the church.  They challenged us to memorize I Peter 2: 13-25.  Now, that’s a lot of verses.  I fiddled around with working on it for a while.  Then one of our daughters said it in her class and I was so impressed.  I started to get convicted at how hard my kids work at memorizing so I tacked the paper with the printed verses right next to the bathroom mirror.  I heard somewhere that this will help force me to face it everyday and work on it.  Well, it was a convenient place but somehow it didn’t just automatically download.  So, finally, about two weeks before it was due, I started really working on it.  I could be found quoting to the mirror at all hours of the day.  I’d quote to the sink as I did dishes and to the flowers as I watered.  Once a police officer even slowed down a little while on his rounds, when he saw me talking out loud to the garden.  I just smiled and waved.  I think he was hoping to see a bluetooth attached to my ear or something.

            When the due date finally came I worked and worked.  I could say it perfectly to my children.  Then, in the car on the way to church I tried quoting it to 2^nd man.  Well, I was just about like Barney up there in the video.  What in the world!!  I had it!  Where’d it go?!  We were setting up for a picnic with the teenagers so 2^nd man assured me that if I couldn’t find a Kings Character worker to say it to before church I could do it afterwards.  Well, that wasn’t going to work for me.  I knew I’d be stressed all evening if I had to wait.  I was hoping to find our pastors 25-year-old son, Jonno.  He’s great, friendly and very very laid back.  I knew he’d go easy on me.  However, no such luck finding him, so I finally found a lady that would listen.  Praise the Lord I had total recall!  Whew!  It was a very exhilarating feeling to have said it and I could look my kids in the eye and let them know I worked too. 

            Truly, the passage had a lot of meat to it and I’m so glad I put the work in.  It really is a satisfying way to meditate on God’s word and I really need to exercise myself this way much more.  So here’s my newest bandwagon and challenge, working on memorizing more.  Certainly I’m spoiled by my easy access to Gods word in written form, but what good does that do me if the brain and heart aren’t taking it in as much as they should and could.  No more Barney Fife for me.