Memory Monday — Psalm 1:1-6

It feels like forever since I participated in Memory Monday. The last time I had learned the first half of Psalm 1:1-6 and planned to have it done by the next week. Well, Christmas, company, and my plans went awry. I had even wanted to do the Christmas story from Luke before Christmas. Considering it's January, that obviously didn't happen. At least I can prior plan that one for next year!

From memory:

Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

I picked this because I'm not normally a Psalm girl, but when I was polishing up Psalm 4:4 I glanced over and saw this and thought it was good. I'm too left brain to like poetry — I just don't get it. I have to read the kid version of Shakespeare that's been written in story form just to get it very well. When I read Job this last time, I read it in The Message which made it much more understandable for me. So the Psalms kind of fall into this category and if I'm reading through the book I will pick up The Message also. Strange I would pick an entire passage for memorization from there.

I also found a helpful way to solidfy the verses. Instead of just memorizing like I normally would, looking at it and saying it while looking away, I studied it and then practiced writing it down on paper over and over again, adding more and more, or doing it by sections and then putting it all together. That really helped me, especially with remembering where the punctuation went.

For next time I think I'm going to start working on Matthew 7:1-6. I'd like to use it with my kids, and my girls have a kit that I think is based on verse six. When I was looking in my concordance I saw "pigs" and then had to take a look. I honestly didn't remember that the pig verse was part of that particular passage, so I decided to tackle the whole thing. I'd like to try and do some additional study on it as well.

Go visit Joanne at The Simple Wife if you'd like to participate.