Son Exposure

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast came out when I (Aimee) was in sixth grade.  I watched that movie everyday (or at least, everyday that my parents allowed me to).  Very soon, I had the movie memorized.  I don’t mean that I had the songs memorized, though that was true, too.  I mean the movie, the entire movie.  Without even putting it on, I could recite the entire movie from start to finish, dialogue as well as songs.  I wasn’t trying to memorize it.  In fact, when I try to memorize things, it is usually very difficult for me.  In this case, it just happened.  Over time, through regular exposure, the movie just sank into my head.

And that movie isn’t the only one.  AND movies aren’t the extent of it.  It happens with songs, too.  I’ll find myself singing along with a song on the radio and I’ll stop and think to myself, “oh, wow, I guess I’ve memorized that song.”

So, knowing that, how much of the Bible do you think that I have memorized?

Go on, guess!

80% ?  75% ?  50% ?  What do you think would have sunk in from sheer exposure?

The correct answer is: probably less than 1%!

It’s really quite pathetic and I am very ashamed to admit it, but it’s the truth.  I have maybe 3 or 4 verses memorized along with Psalm 23 and that’s about it. 

I have read all of the Bible.  More than once, even!  I am very familiar with it and I even have favorite stories and passages.  So you’d think that some of it would have sunk in word for word just like a movie or a song.  But the truth is: I haven't had the exposure to the Word of God that I've had to my television or my radio.  It saddens me when I think about it.

Let me make a small disclaimer.  Not having the Bible memorized does not necessarily make you a bad Christian.  But I am talking about the amount of time and effort that we put into knowing the Word in comparison with what we give to other areas of our lives (like television, for example).

I have claimed that I desire to honor God in all my ways with my entire life.  I went to school and received two degrees with the purpose of working in His church as my career.  But there are still times when I realize that I spend more time watching TV or surfing the internet than I do with His Word.

This morning I began reading the Bible from Genesis 1:1.  I intend on reading a small section everyday so that I will have read through the entire Bible in exactly one year (finishing on September 30, 2011).  And then I'll start over again.  I want to show God how much His Word really means to me by spending time in it every day.

Reading the Bible every day may not work for everyone.  But I would encourage all Christians to spend time in the Word on a regular basis, more than just every Sunday.  After all, the Scriptures tell us about the God that we serve, the loving sacrifice of His Son, and so much more.  It's through the Bible that we learn what God expects of us and where we can read about how much He loves us. 

I could make a bunch of corny comments like "the Bible is the true 'tale as old as time,'" and "it is 'true as it can be,'" but I won't.  Instead, I'll offer this: Psalm 119:10-12 says

I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

Praise be to you, O Lord;

teach me your decrees.

I pray that this would be true of me and that it might be evident in the way I live my everyday life.  I want to expose myself to what will build me up and bring glory to the One who died for me.