Making Memorizing Beautiful

I don’t really have much Scripture memorized.

I remember a lot of Scripture. I have a paraphrasing-style mind. I can tell you when Paul discusses the trumpets sounding and the world breaking forth into an eternal splendor and death no longer has any sting is 1 Corinthians 15, but to say it word for word—verbatim—is challenging for me.

I have one piece of Scripture memorized very well, mostly because of sentimental value. It was given to me on an index card by a mentor who said, “memorize it.” And I did. I wanted to show this person that I could actually do it.

In high school I had to memorize the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. I still remember it to this day. I love the sound of the language. It’s beautiful. And my wife thoroughly hates it. She thinks when I recite it I’m showing off, but I really say it because Middle English is this lilting, hardscrabble language that hearkens back to days when we even our very words were more attached to the earth (pardon the English major moment).

I think that is the challenge for me as I memorize I John. It’s not about my spiritual maturity, my advancement, my pride—so that I can say I have a whole book of the Bible memorized. It will be worth it when I can memorize it because it is beautiful.