Ya’ll, I’m #ThatMom: I stink at telling jokes, can’t remember the lyrics to songs, and cannot replicate recipes from memory (I am learning all about meal planning, however, thanks to fellow #MAMC blogger Kristian Sarich). I did learn a skill set in my early years of life that fortunately hasn’t seemed to be affected by our families genetic code of forgetfulness. (Ya’ll, it’s a thing! If you were to ask my mom to sing you a song, she wouldn’t be able to remember the words either!) I’m talking about Scripture memorization. As children, my siblings and I learned to memorize Bible verses, and gratefully those words have stuck with me through adulthood becoming my anchor of hope during life difficulties.
As an adult, I am so grateful to have a vault full of scripture stored in my mind. My battle with infertility and miscarriages could have left me grasping at threads, but I found anchors of hope in the Words that were hidden deeply in my heart. If a friend had quoted some of the verses that I hold dear during points of doubt or struggle, it would have seemed shallow or cliché, however, the words that would bubble up from my heart are always deeply comforting. As a mom, I want to impart to my children the gift of being able to recall scripture during times of need. I want them to experience “anchors of hope” when life is seemingly hopeless.
One of my goals was to familiarize my daughter with Bible verses as early in her life as possible. As you can imagine, teaching my toddler has been challenging since she is still nonverbal, however, she is learning! Once she was able to mimic hand motions to simple nursery songs like “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” I knew it was time to start. We use hand motions and simple melodies to make learning these scripture verses like a game. This afternoon I began the verse from Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning”, and my 15-month-old daughter immediately held her pointer finger up in the air. I couldn’t have been prouder!
I love watching my daughter slowly become more familiar with new verses. I am prayerful that the words she learns will go deep into her heart and be the lifeline she needs as an adult during life’s trials. How about you? What has been your anchor of hope and how do you help your child embrace that gift?
“Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates”.
(Deuteronomy 6:5-9 MSG)
