Little by little a tree grows. Each day, just a tiny bit- almost imperceptible. But over the course of years, the changes are obvious. Growing up in our house on Hardwood Court, my dad planted a little tree in our front yard. Frankly I am amazed it survived because we really did nothing at all to help that poor little twig other than stick it in the dirt. When my boyfriend (now my husband) would come over to visit, as he left, he would take a little running leap and jump right over that infant tree.
Fast forward a few years and we are married and have a baby in the crib. No longer can that little tree be jumped over.
Fast forward 24 years and that tree is enormous. It towers over the house like a watchtower and no one can even imagine jumping it.
But that tree did not spring up over night. In fact, I remember being surprised every once in a while at how very big that tree had become. Years and years of looking at it daily still did not always make me aware of it’s daily growth. But compounded…it was shocking. When you would really notice the difference from year to year was when it would drop its leaves in the fall. Then, as we were raking we would look up into that tree and notice it’s height.
The same is true for daily spiritual disciplines. I would love to spend days pouring over scripture, but in reality, that is not my station in life right now. But daily Bible reading, even just a few minutes here and there adds up over time to a heart rich with scripture.
We already know that some tasks really must be done daily and can’t be done in large chunks:
- Daily grooming
- Dental Care
- Eating
- Sleeping
- Learning a musical instrument
- Learning a foreign language
So if you really want to add a new habit into your day, one of those long-term daily disciplines, somehow “tie it together” with a task you already do every day.
For example: as you brush your teeth, look over your memory verse. Right before or after breakfast, spend a few minutes in devotional time. Just upon wakening, instead of checking your phone or computer for the latest message, check your Bible for a fresh word from God. The closer you tie this task to something you already do every day, the more likely you are to remember to do it every day, until it also becomes a normal daily task for you.
Does it make a difference? Well, yes. One of the ways we do scripture memory here is to try to memorize long passages, whole chapters, or even books. The idea of memorizing an entire book seems impossible. But by memorizing one verse per day and adding it to verses learned previously, in a month you can have an entire chapter set to memory- even if you take off days occasionally from learning new material to review.
By using this method, several in our family have memorized chapters of the Bible, and one of our daughters, particularly gifted in memory work has memorized several entire books of the bible. But part of her giftedness is that she has the self-control and desire to work on it- consistently, nearly every single day.
If you decide to add a new habit, remember to “tie” it to one you already do every day without fail. This will help ensure your long-term success.
