Memorizing Scripture as a Busy Mom
As a busy mom, I have found it hard to be in the habit of memorizing Scripture. It’s a habit that I would start doing, but then it always fell apart. Usually, I just forgot to do it, or I didn’t know what Bible verse to memorize next. I would tell myself, “I’ll find a verse or passage to memorize tomorrow.” But that never happened. I thought I needed a special notebook, or a nice stack of cards with verses on them. I grew up going to AWANA. If you don’t know what AWANA is, it’s a Bible club for kids. They play games, sing songs, learn Bible stories, and memorize Bible verses. It was popular in the 1990s, and I think it has fizzled out since then. When I was young, my mom would take me and my siblings. We were in the habit of memorizing a couple of verses every week. To this day, I can remember the verses I learned when I was a child. That being said, I liked that memorizing Scripture was a habit for me as a kid, but once I started college and stopped going to AWANA, then I stopped memorizing Scripture. Up until recently, I hadn’t been able to make it a steady habit. However, this past year has been the first year that memorizing Scripture has been a consistent and steady habit. Sometimes the word habit can remind me of boring things like brushing my teeth or taking vitamins, but memorizing Scripture is a rich habit that has changed me. By consistent I mean that it happens five or six days a week or so. Pick a Book of the Bible to Memorize It all started with this great idea of memorizing a book of the Bible. I have had friends in the past who have done this, and it’s something I always admired and wanted to do. I was drawn to memorize a book of the Bible because it would solve the problem of not knowing what verse to memorize. Back in November of 2023, I decided I was going to memorize the book of James. I picked it because it’s small and not very intimidating. I had no idea how long this would take, but I figured that if I spend a few minutes each day memorizing a verse or two, it would all add up. Currently, it’s December 2024, and I just finished memorizing the book of James. It took a whole year, which is longer than I thought. Despite the fact that it took me a year, I was encouraged because if I continue this habit for twenty, thirty, or forty years, then that’s a good chunk of the Bible I will have memorized. Reading and Rereading Scripture What I did each morning was read and reread the verse or verses I was working on. I would say it in my head or out loud several times. Nothing was written down only because I wanted it to be simple. I would also review the preceding verses. What I found was that constant reviewing was necessary. Usually, I spent about three to four minutes a day on memorizing. That’s it. Sometimes I would listen to James read aloud on my phone. I wasn’t very consistent with that, but I would recommend doing it. Use a Bookmark I have bookmarks in my Bible that remind what books to read each day (and Old Testament book, Psalms, Proverbs, and James). As silly as it sounds, placing a bookmark in James has helped me be consistent. If I see it popping out, then I remember to do it. Be Realistic I actually can’t stand up and recite James perfectly. Like I said earlier, I needed to review a lot to keep it all memorized. Once I was done with the last chapter of James, I had forgotten some of the verses in chapter one. After I reviewed them, it quickly came back to me. What helped me not feel defeated about not actually having James all perfectly memorized at once was asking myself what my goal was. My goal was to memorize more Scripture because 1) the Psalm 119:11 says to hide God’s word in our hearts that we might not sin against God, and 2) I wanted to be able think about Scripture during the day. I was still able to do that without being able to recite the whole book straight through. Last Thoughts Memorizing a whole book of the Bible makes sense. You get a better grasp of the flow of the book, the themes, the style, and the sequence of verses. Scripture memorization sounds harder than it actually is. All you need is a bookmark, a couple of minutes each day, and consistency. The hardest part for me was being consistent, but the more I was consistent, the easier it got to grow in consistency. Consistency and routine is something you can grow into and strengthen over time. After I am done reviewing James one last time, I will go on to Ephesians. Who knows, maybe you will memorize a book of the Bible. Also, someday I will go back to James and memorize it again, and I bet it will be a bit easier the second time through.
Playdates with Introverted Children
I have had many playdates that were not enjoyable. Unfortunately, I have been the mom who meets other moms at a park for a playdate only to have my child want to play far away from everyone else, and insist on mom staying close by. Then I get to watch all other moms hang out at the other end of the park. Fun, right? Playdates with introverted children, such as mine are, can be challenging. As a mom, it can feel like you’re doing everything wrong when your shy child refuses to play with other children. What I have learned is that my children, most of whom are introverted, are capable of making friends and playing well with other children, but it takes some thinking and some strategizing to make it happen. Here is what I have learned about having playdates with introverted children. Consistency Find someone who is willing to meet up regularly. I used to do random playdates with friends here and there. My children would kind of remember the other children, but they spent most of time warming up. The next time we saw them, we had to spent the whole time warming up all over again. What I found was consistently meeting with one mom and her kids made a big difference. After a few playdates, the warm up period slowly shortened, and the kids were playing. I like to tell people that I am a crockpot set on low. Sometimes I take a long time to warm up to people, and so do my kids. Everyone I see seems to be an instapot. They just jump right into the fun and have a blast. However, I know there are other crockpots out there. It’s not wrong to have a slow warm up time, but it can confuse others, especially the instapots. They sometimes think something is wrong with you, and they might form an incorrect opinion. Keep it Small (Don’t do a big group playdate) Playdates with introverted children should ideally be small. Don’t invite ten families to your house with their children and expect your introverted child to have a blast. I think our culture values having large groups of friends, but not everyone needs ten good friends. It’s okay to keep your social circle small for the time being. Children grow and change. They won’t always be overwhelmed by lots of kids, but if they are, then start at the beginning – invite one mom and her kids over. What I like is that my children have learned how to play with others by playing well with one other child. I also like that I get to know another mom by spending time talking with her one-on-one. Also, a little side note here, lots of stay-at-home moms would probably like to be invited over to another mom’s house. Sometimes being a mom is a lonely job. A small gesture like that can make someone else very happy. Invite Someone to Your House Personally, I usually choose to not meet at a park unless your child is comfortable with the other child. The reason why is because I have seen my children feel uncomfortable in new environments, such as a park, and then they feel unsure about a new kid they are being told to run around and play with. To a crockpot, that is just ridiculous. I would suggest inviting a mom to your house. An introverted child is more comfortable and will act more like themselves in their home. My best playdates are at my house. I don’t clean my house before other moms come over, although it usually is tidy (I’m German. I can’t help it). I just offer coffee or tea, and we talk. I enjoy the parks too, but I have noticed that my children play and interact more with their friends when they meet at our house. Don’t be embarrassed And if a playdate falls flat, don’t worry about it. It happens. Good friends are a wonderful treasure in this life, but it takes time to build those friendships, especially for those little introverted crockpots. They will make friends. It might take a bit longer than you hoped for. You have to be patient because you can’t hurry growth in children.