Dodging Landmines
If you’re like me, landmines dot the field of memory verse review. Here are a few of the struggles I encounter as a memorizer--with suggestions for combat!
Combat: Make a specific review plan, and get right to it. Any plan is better than no plan. First, make a list of the verses to review, then decide which days of the week you will review each verse, and finally determine a realistic time. Don’t get bogged down making the perfect system. Test-run your plan for a few weeks, then tweak as needed.
Combat: Pick a manageable number to start with; once you have a good routine, gradually add the rest in. You may find it helpful to make an initial time investment in organization. Would a notebook, verse cards, or app be most helpful to you? Again, don’t let the setup overrule the objective. Limit yourself to fifteen minutes in your initial setup time, then start reviewing. The remaining verses can be added little-by-little as you gain confidence and have the time. Reviewing some verses on day one is better than reviewing none.
Combat: Pray for fresh appreciation of God’s Word. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Psa. 119:18). “The word of God is living and powerful…” (Heb. 4:12). Read a commentary and/or discuss with Christian friends for fresh insights. Regular review, though it may seem unnecessary, will dramatically improve your recitations in the long run.
The old Latin saying is true, Repetitio est mater studiorum--"Repetition is the mother of learning."
The Aimless Must-Do
“I need to review sometime somehow...and I will…sometime somehow….”Combat: Make a specific review plan, and get right to it. Any plan is better than no plan. First, make a list of the verses to review, then decide which days of the week you will review each verse, and finally determine a realistic time. Don’t get bogged down making the perfect system. Test-run your plan for a few weeks, then tweak as needed.
I’m-So-Behind Despair
“There are last summer’s memory verses and last month’s and the ones from Bible study and the Sunday school set and… I’m so far behind I won’t even try!”Combat: Pick a manageable number to start with; once you have a good routine, gradually add the rest in. You may find it helpful to make an initial time investment in organization. Would a notebook, verse cards, or app be most helpful to you? Again, don’t let the setup overrule the objective. Limit yourself to fifteen minutes in your initial setup time, then start reviewing. The remaining verses can be added little-by-little as you gain confidence and have the time. Reviewing some verses on day one is better than reviewing none.
This-Is-Boring
“That verse again? I’m so tired of saying it. Enough already!”Combat: Pray for fresh appreciation of God’s Word. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Psa. 119:18). “The word of God is living and powerful…” (Heb. 4:12). Read a commentary and/or discuss with Christian friends for fresh insights. Regular review, though it may seem unnecessary, will dramatically improve your recitations in the long run.
The old Latin saying is true, Repetitio est mater studiorum--"Repetition is the mother of learning."
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