I’ve posted a few pictures on instagram where my hand had creeped into the shot and the scribbles on my hand were evident. People were commenting asking what it was and if I got a tattoo. Which I can see the confusion because they do just look like random letters haha! BUT this is actually what I have been doing to memorize scripture!
Looking back to last fall, I can see over and over again where the Lord was urging me to start really digging into scripture and start storing it away in my heart. I read it in a book, heard a friend talking about, then one of my friends told me how she would take a Bible verse and write down the first letter of every word on her hand. I had never heard of that! I thought it was brilliant though! So I decided I would start doing it.
Boy does it work.
Christine Caine was speaking at Passion and something she said really stuck with me. She said:
“The truth will set you free, but only the truth that you know.”
Wow.
The Bible is full of truth, but if we are not searching out that truth it is useless for us.
I find myself so often falling into the the lies of the devil. Living in a fallen world we are constantly being fed those lies, through media, t.v., even ads. Especially as girls, we are being told we need to look like this or dress like this or be like this, and if not then something is wrong with us.
With all the lies coming in, we have GOT to have truth coming in so we can combat those lies!
The enemy is feeding me these lies just like anyone else, but lately he’s been hitting me hard with something I finally realized had a name: destination addiction. Moving away from home has been really hard for me. I have been extremely overwhelmed from the craziness of life. I was constantly saying, “Oh I can’t wait to be back home for Christmas, then I will be happy again”, “Oh I can’t wait to be back home for summer, then I will be myself again.” And although I am excited to be going back home soon for summer (I mean who isn’t?!), I realized I was basing my happiness off of a place. Then it hit me- I do not want to be happy, I want to be joyful. Happiness is based off of circumstances, while joy is a gift from God. Though we may not be happy about some situations we find ourselves in, we can still be joyful no matter what because of Christ! John 10:10 says, “The thief comes in to steal, kill and destroy…” The devil sure was coming in to steal my joy.
I say all of this to show you what my verses were combatting. The main things I was focusing on were joy and calming my anxious, overwhelmed heart.
“You make known to me the path of life and in your presence there is fullness of joy; at you right hand are pleasures forever more.” -Psalm 16:11
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6&7
There is something in the Bible for anything that you could be struggling with. We have all just got to learn to turn first to the Word for out truth instead of other places. Find your truth and then dwell on it. That is the thing about writing it on your hand. I love highlighting verses in my Bible, but once I shut my Bible and go on with everyday life that verse is out of sight and out of mind…I simply forget about it! But, obviously my hands are always with me. I cannot help but see the letters on my hand and then I am reminded of that truth. It helps me focus more on God and when I am focused more on God, I am more focused on long-term things and not as concerned with the trivial short-term problems that are what are making me anxious or upset.
John Luke just said today, “Ya know, society is focusing on the short-term, but we as Christians have to be focusing more on the long-term.
I have challenged myself to memorize more scripture, and not only memorize it but store it in my heart. I want to challenge you to try it! Try it for a week. Write it on your hand. It does not have to be a super long verse, but just a verse that you can find encouragement in. Sometimes I’ll have a different verse everyday, or I may write the same one over and over again for a week….whatever fits your need best.
I hope this week you can know just how crazy God is about you and how He is there for your every need.
This is brilliant, Mary Kate!! Memorization is something I have neglected over the past few years, and this was a lovely reminder of how important it is to make this a priority. Also, I love love love that George MacDonald quote; it's been my favorite for quite some time now. 🙂
Such a great idea for memorizing scripture! Our sermon Sunday was all about knowing the truth from the Bible–not what we want to believe is the truth. And you're right, we can only know the truth if we store it in our hearts. Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts
His was great! Very inspiring:) would love to know what bible you use, and that notebook you write quotes and stuff in, I would love to know what/how you kik to use I and make notes:) much love!
This is honestly what I have been thinking about since I've been away at college. This is a great reminder and pusher to get me memorizing verses more. I definitely understand how you said you'd be happy at home, but I loved how you said we needed to find joy and that joy comes God himself. I also really relate to what John Luke said too. Thank you for being such a great spiritual mentor for me. I know you don't know me and I don't know you I just want to thank you for being a person to help me strive closer in my relationship with God and others. Thank you. ❤️
After I saw your latest blog post where I could see some of the letters on your hand, I decided to start doing this very same thing after I saw a comment that someone had said, explaining what those letters were on your hand! And I agree with you MaryKate! It has worked soo well for me!!! It has drawn my attention more to the Lord and kept my mind from thinking so much on worldly, temporary things. 🙂 Thanks for this post explaining it though! It was so helpful!
Thank you for this wonderful idea for putting scripture in my heart! I'm about to go on a summer mission trip and I was praying for a simple way to focus on scripture through out the day!
Hey Mary Kate! I love reading your blog and being encouraged! I have even started using this genius idea as well! Could you tell me what kind of camera you use to take your pictures?
I too have been thinking "oh when I go to the beach this summer I will be happy." "I'll be happy this summer." You have inspired me so much. I do not need the devil to take my happiness away! I can't explain how much you and Sadie are such role models to me. I've been going though a hard time at my school dealing with kids that don't understand why I'm firm on not having sex before marriage and not doing drugs. When I'm in a bad mood or discouraged I try to read something from you or Sadie and it makes me happier knowing that I'm not the only person that has Christian values. You are such a wounded full woman Mary Kate❤️
My daughter did this just this morning after reading your idea. Thank you for opening your life for others to see and especially for giving girls like my daughter tangible evidence that they are not alone in their convictions. I pray for you as I know the enemy isn't happy when others are built up. Be strong and stubborn 🙂
Thank you very much for this awesome tip to memorize Scripture! If you want to keep track of the verses you have memorized, I recommend the app Bible Memory: Remember Me. It features fun quizzes and flashcards, you can record yourself recalling a verse, listen to audio, and track your success systematically using the app's intelligent review system. It's so easy to use, it's even part of Google Play for Families.
I love this blog post so much that I had to come back and read it for a second time. This was very encouraging and I can really relate. I'm looking forward to reading your next post.
Hi Mary Kate, I have been wanting to memorize scripture for a long time but the thing I can't get over is picking verses. It just seems so random to me. How do you choose one each day?
Hi Mary Kate, I have been wanting to memorize scripture for a long time but the thing I can't get over is picking verses. It just seems so random to me. How do you choose one each day?
[…] the verse on your hand. This idea was comes from Mary Kate Robertson (read about it on her blog here). But it is so effective! I’ve actually learned a lot of Scripture this way. Simply write […]
[…] two years ago, I read a blog article by Mary Kate Robertson where she says that she struggled with something called “destination addiction”. It’s […]
This is seriously the coolest idea every! Definitely trying it.
(Also your handwriting is seriously the cutest, just saying.)
*ever
What version of study bible do you use? I like the little questions I see in your bible as side notes, looking for a new study bible
This is brilliant, Mary Kate!! Memorization is something I have neglected over the past few years, and this was a lovely reminder of how important it is to make this a priority. Also, I love love love that George MacDonald quote; it's been my favorite for quite some time now. 🙂
Alyssa Endres
pearlsandpenmanship.blogspot.com
Such a great idea for memorizing scripture! Our sermon Sunday was all about knowing the truth from the Bible–not what we want to believe is the truth. And you're right, we can only know the truth if we store it in our hearts.
Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts
This is such a creative and fun way to memorize scripture! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Love this and you <3 Thank you for being a daily inspiration to me and all others .
His was great! Very inspiring:) would love to know what bible you use, and that notebook you write quotes and stuff in, I would love to know what/how you kik to use I and make notes:) much love!
Great Idea I love this! It is so important to use God's word in our life! Love this way of memorization!
Thank you for this! I have been struggling with how to memorize more and this is feasible for me!!!!
You are so inspiring! You should make a post about your religious journey and routine (what you do everyday to connect with God).
girl C
https://fromgirlc.wordpress.com
This is honestly what I have been thinking about since I've been away at college. This is a great reminder and pusher to get me memorizing verses more. I definitely understand how you said you'd be happy at home, but I loved how you said we needed to find joy and that joy comes God himself. I also really relate to what John Luke said too. Thank you for being such a great spiritual mentor for me. I know you don't know me and I don't know you I just want to thank you for being a person to help me strive closer in my relationship with God and others. Thank you. ❤️
After I saw your latest blog post where I could see some of the letters on your hand, I decided to start doing this very same thing after I saw a comment that someone had said, explaining what those letters were on your hand! And I agree with you MaryKate! It has worked soo well for me!!! It has drawn my attention more to the Lord and kept my mind from thinking so much on worldly, temporary things. 🙂 Thanks for this post explaining it though! It was so helpful!
xoxo
Amanda
Thank you for this wonderful idea for putting scripture in my heart! I'm about to go on a summer mission trip and I was praying for a simple way to focus on scripture through out the day!
This is excellent!! My daughter shared this with me and I love it!
This is excellent!! My daughter shared this with me and I love it!
I really needed this encouragement tonight! Thank you for listening to God and choosing to write for Him!
Great idea.i love it. Will try it soon!
I love this idea!! What version of the Bible do you use?
Thank you for sharing! I need to try this soon!
Totally going to try it! Thank you.
So cool! Thanks for the idea.
TheDaddyBlitz
Such an awesome way to memorize scripture! I love having God's Word in my heart!
Wow. I didn't even know that I needed this. Thank you for sharing!
Very encouraging Mary Kate!!! Where did you get your notebook you use to write scripture in?
Hey Mary Kate! I love reading your blog and being encouraged! I have even started using this genius idea as well! Could you tell me what kind of camera you use to take your pictures?
I too have been thinking "oh when I go to the beach this summer I will be happy." "I'll be happy this summer." You have inspired me so much. I do not need the devil to take my happiness away! I can't explain how much you and Sadie are such role models to me. I've been going though a hard time at my school dealing with kids that don't understand why I'm firm on not having sex before marriage and not doing drugs. When I'm in a bad mood or discouraged I try to read something from you or Sadie and it makes me happier knowing that I'm not the only person that has Christian values. You are such a wounded full woman Mary Kate❤️
My daughter did this just this morning after reading your idea. Thank you for opening your life for others to see and especially for giving girls like my daughter tangible evidence that they are not alone in their convictions. I pray for you as I know the enemy isn't happy when others are built up. Be strong and stubborn 🙂
This is awesome Mary Kate I will definitely use this all the time!!!
Thank you very much for this awesome tip to memorize Scripture! If you want to keep track of the verses you have memorized, I recommend the app Bible Memory: Remember Me. It features fun quizzes and flashcards, you can record yourself recalling a verse, listen to audio, and track your success systematically using the app's intelligent review system. It's so easy to use, it's even part of Google Play for Families.
I love this idea! I am definitely trying it!
I really enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing such an encouraging word!
I'm going to try your method this week for memorizing verses! So excited!
I'm going to try your method this week for memorizing verses! So excited!
I love this blog post so much that I had to come back and read it for a second time. This was very encouraging and I can really relate. I'm looking forward to reading your next post.
I absolutely love this!! It has been so incredibly helpful!! And such a great reminder!!! Thank you, thank you!!
Hi Mary Kate, I have been wanting to memorize scripture for a long time but the thing I can't get over is picking verses. It just seems so random to me. How do you choose one each day?
Hi Mary Kate, I have been wanting to memorize scripture for a long time but the thing I can't get over is picking verses. It just seems so random to me. How do you choose one each day?
Such a great idea!! I am going to do that now 🙂
http://livelifefullyalive.com/
[…] the verse on your hand. This idea was comes from Mary Kate Robertson (read about it on her blog here). But it is so effective! I’ve actually learned a lot of Scripture this way. Simply write […]
So great ! I used to write all the verse on my hand it was a little bit too messy. But your way is so so good 😀
Hello, this is such a cool idea.
I was thinking it would be nice if you wrote a post about christian books/ Podcasts you recommend
What book was it that you read this in?
Thank you for pouring your heart into the pages of this blog, I for one appreciate it.
[…] two years ago, I read a blog article by Mary Kate Robertson where she says that she struggled with something called “destination addiction”. It’s […]