Where Did I File That?

In my work as a teacher, one of my tasks is to help my children learn how words are put together in order to both read and write them.  After a few days of doing excellent work on spelling words on their individual whiteboards I asked my students to write a story.

As I made my rounds, checking student work in progress, I was surprised to see many of them incorrectly spelling words in their stories that we had been working on lately in word study.

The next day as I talked about the importance of putting what they learned about words into practice, I grabbed a piece of paper from my desk.  I asked my students if I would be able to find it if I just laid it on top of the file cabinet or if I just threw it into the file drawer.  They easily replied that I would have difficulty in finding the document.

Then I told them, that to find documents, I have to put them into file folders in a specific file drawer.  In the same way, to retain our knowledge about the words we are working on, we need to file them in our brains.  

How do we do that?  We connect new learning to old learning.  Those connections help us retain what we have learned.  

The situation is similar in applying and retaining God’s Word in our hearts and minds.  How do we take what we have read or heard and utilize it in our daily lives?

It is the same deal as with my students and their spelling words.  We need to make connections with God’s Word and tie it to what we already know in order to retain it.  God’s Word itself puts it this way:

“Fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  (Deuteronomy 11:18-19 NIV)

Digesting and processing God’s Word is not done in an instant.  We need to make connections to hold Scripture in our hearts and minds.  We need to take time daily to not only read Scripture, but also to put it to use in our daily lives.

At different seasons in our lives that might mean different things.  I know when my children were young, I had to take time after they were in bed to delve into Scripture.  In those tiring days, sometimes I could only digest a few verses at a time.  Now I find it easier to spend time in God’s Word first thing in the day and it is something I can think about and apply as my day unfolds.  I also have a Bible on my phone and it is my go-to reading when I am waiting for an appointment, etc.

But it is more than just reading God’s Holy Word.  If I just skim a page, I am doing no different than just throwing a page in my file drawer.  The words in Deuteronomy remind us that bringing God’s Word into our entire day is essential.  Talking about it, writing about it, sharing it – all have a way of ingraining it in our brains and hearts.  

Our ultimate goal is to internalize God’s precious gift of His Word so it is a part of our whole being.  

I have had some seasons in life where God’s Word has not taken priority.  In those times, when my reading of Scripture is cursory, I am not the same.  My strength from the full armour of God is depleted if I let this area lag.  Days drag on as I feel like I must figure things out on my own.  That is not what God wants.  He wants us to draw from the wealth of Scripture and utilize it in our daily lives.  He gave us His Word to nourish and sustain us.  We do ourselves a great disservice if we ignore this wonderful gift. 

Dear friend, I pray that we can make time to drink in the wonders of God’s Word – use it, apply it, share it, and internalize it.  

In there we will find all we need to support us for the cares of this life and find hope for the future.

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