Today I wanted to share with you something near and dear to my heart. As someone who struggles with anxiety and has definitely been through seasons where I've let it get the best of me, I've always found that God's grace was the constant to pull me out.

            Jesus led this perfect life and yet died so that we who live such imperfect lives would not be held accountable for our sins when it came to our eternity. He overcame the world so that we wouldn't have to. I often find myself in awe when I think of the kind of life Jesus led, and how much more there must be to it that we've only scratched the surface of. All the things he witnessed and all the lives he touched during his brief time on Earth and here we are and he's still completely changing our hearts, wrecking us and remolding us to this very day.

            John 16:33 says:


           I've always known John 16:33, and the message behind it has always been a big deal to me, but it wasn't until I read a book called Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko (an incredible book, by the way) that my whole heart shifted with this scripture.

            "Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble, but he instructed us to take heart, because he has overcome the world (John 16:33). It is interesting that he said 'take heart,' because heart is also translated as courageousness, so he is saying 'take courage.' We often think of courage as an emotion or attribute that you either have or don't. Not so. Jesus' command is for you to take it from his hand - as much as you need... As we wait on the Lord, our hearts are strengthened, and we see things that are invisible and can then do things that are impossible."

            So when Jesus said heart, he was talking about:
                        courage
                        boldness
                        bravery
                        determination
                        faithfulness
                        fearlessness
                        firmness
                        fortitude

          And the beautiful thing about this is that it's not because of who we are, but it's because of who Christ is. Christ, his grace and his love, is an endless source of courage to take on the world with. And it doesn't matter how anxious, scared, weak, fearful, sinful, undeserving, or broken you feel. We are instructed to take from God's hand, and as much as we need. How pure and whole is that kind of love? It kind of leaves me speechless.

            To this day I've never looked at those words the same way. Sometimes even the word heart in a completely different context will call out to me. It's often too easy to let our anxieties get the best of us, we let fear control us and dictate are actions. Knowing that God has all the courage we need and we have access to it, lifts all that weight off our shoulders. There's something totally infinite and unconquerable about it, and that's all because of who Christ is. 

           My faith is my rock and it has remained my only constant. And for me, having scripture memorized is like wearing a suit of armor for whenever I may feel anxious or lost. As a part of being a Christ follower, I really like the idea of always having God's word with me - for example, I have a spare bible in my car, and a bible app on my phone, but sometimes even that doesn't equip me for every moment. Over the years, there have been many times I've felt overwhelmed when all I had to do was recite the word of God to myself and I found peace.

          When I find verses I'd like to memorize, I actually only do a few things. And it's so unbelievably simple, I'm surprised I haven't seen more people use this technique...

HOW I MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE

Step One: I GET TO KNOW THE WORD

          Personally, I will always pick a verse from a book or theme of the bible that I familiarize myself with first. I also try to wait for the verse to find me, because for whatever I am going through in my life, God has the answer and he will give it to me. Side note, I also learned in psychology, that context does help memorization. So when you have the backstory behind the verse, you can remember it better. It may take on infinite new meanings on how it applies to your life, but you know it's roots.

Step Two: I WRITE IT DOWN

          I always make sure to write the verse down on paper. I'll stick it on my mirror, my dashboard, anywhere I am a lot and will see it. I'll also save it to my notes app on my phone. That way I have a constant reminder.

Step Three: I TURN IT INTO A LONGGGGG ACRONYM

          Lastly, and this is the key part to how I memorize scripture, I'll take a pen and write down the first letter of every word from the verses I'm memorizing. Personally, I write it on the back of my hand, but paper works too. Every verse I've ever done this with, I've learned in a day - almost effortlessly. I like to keep at this technique for a few days, however, so I'm sure the verse is in my long term memory and I can recall it whenever I need it.

         Take James 1:27 for example...


         Like the picture above, I'll write on my hand RTGOFAAPAF... and so on. As I'm reciting the verse, I'll refer to these letters when I get stuck. And that is how I memorize scripture!

          Hello there, I'm Sarah and welcome to my journey and a place for all the light I wish to share with the world.

• I'm twenty four years old and an East Tennessee native who currently resides in Chattanooga. 
• I am passionate about non toxic and natural living. I'm also new on my journey, so I'm still transitioning and finding new products and recipes to fill my home with.
• I love learning about holistic wellness.
• I am a Christian and with everything I do my primary goal is to glorify God.
• So I suppose that makes me a Jesus loving hippie.
• I'm an artist and a writer and I come from a family full of artists and writers.
• I love photography, I learned about it through film as a teenager and I dream of having my own darkroom someday.
• I am full of wanderlust but I'm also a homebody. I've only been out of America once, when I went to Córdoba, Spain, and the city absolutely captured my heart (and that's where I took that photo of a sunflower field).
• I have a Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology and I geek out over the subject.
• I'm an INFJ and a true introvert.

          My wish for this blog is to be a place of soulful conversation, creativity, holistic wellness and truth seeking. If you've made this far, I hope you'll choose to stay to learn and cherish life with me.