Writing God’s Word in my Heart

One of my goals this summer is to know God deeper. When I heard that Sisterhood, (the women’s ministry I attend), was having sign ups for memorizing scripture throughout the month of July, I immediately was on board. If I’m being honest, I’ve never made much of an effort to memorize verses of the bible. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I was just so intimidated by the concept. I thought, “Surely I can’t recite a chapter, let alone a few verses by memory!”

But God, whose work in me is far from over, got ahold of me real quick. Proverbs 4:21-22 reads:

“My (daughter), pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;”

When I read this verse, I wanted to be that woman! I wanted to remember God’s word constantly. I desired to have it embedded within my very soul. I began to wonder:
How often do I have thoughts I don’t like, make choices I shouldn’t have, or get distracted by things that really don’t matter?

If you’re anything like me, the answer is all.the.time. So where do I go from here? How can I be a woman who is Christ-centered, when I’m so naturally inclined to be self-centered?

Well, can you guess one thing that would certainly help? I must truly know Gods word. And that goes beyond reading, it means memorizing. It’s essential that I have it written deep within my heart so that no matter where I am, I can fix my thoughts on Jesus. Center my life around His will as He gives me the strength to disregard my own. And when my heart and soul is fixed on Him, it affects my every decision in a beautiful, and God-glorifying way. And oh how much I want that!!

So since July first has come, I have committed to memorizing a verse a day. And guess what? I’m remembering it! I’m learning! And it’s changed my life in just a matter of days. My mom joined me on the summer challenge, and we were chatting about the progress we had made. I shared with her how I could not believe how much memorizing scripture affected my entire day. It opened my eyes to  how often I am distracted! I am so quick to think about silly meaningless things. (Let’s not even get into how many silly meaningless things I do in a day!)

What am I going to wear today?

I feel like shopping.

Oh my show comes on tonight.

So and so is doing this…I’m jealous.

*Scroll through Instagram*

I don’t like this about myself.

If I could just…then I would be happier.

*Sits on my phone for way too long*

Me. Me. Me. It’s all about ME.

See what I mean? My thoughts are really, really selfish most of the time. One of the goals of memorizing passages of the bible is to fill idle time with meaningful time. That is really what I’ve started to do. My thoughts are being tuned to His thoughts. He is making His ways, my ways. Let’s be real, we are all prone to be self-glorifying, self-centered people. After all, that’s our human nature. So we have to fight to stay on the right track. We have to work hard in order to finish this race strong!

So maybe you’re like me, and you’ve shyed away from the intimidating process of memorizing scripture. Girl, you can do it!! Seriously, if I can, you can! A lot of times in life the things that are difficult, are also very necessary. Remember this truth: You’re relying on God’s help, and he never fails. (Psalm 73:26)

Take it from someone who has seen the benefits first hand, it will only help you. Remember how I shared with you some of my selfish, reoccurring thoughts? (So embarrassing!) Well, when I choose to reflect on what the bible says, there’s no time to think about me. Everything quickly becomes all about Him. And that might sound strange, and even silly, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s crazy how much your character changes when your heart does. When Christ is at the center, I’m joyfully last.

I want this for you, beautiful. Because you need Him. Because you’ll never be the same. Because you’ll be more alive as you walk in the calling in which your very existence was made.

So what do you say? Want to join me this month in the scripture challenge? I linked the information below so you can sign up. The cost is free, (yay!), but the benefits are priceless. (I had to throw in a classic, cheesy line, didn’t I?) But truly, from the bottom of my heart, I wrote this because I am so blown away at how this last week and a half has changed me. It’s one of those, “If I had known then what I know now…” kind of things.

I am so thankful for you taking the time to read this! My faith is so important to me, and something I never want to be a secret as I blog.

You are beautiful, valuable, and so, so loved!! I hope you have the happiest of Sundays.

xo, Tay

Sisterhood Summer Challenge