Amidst the hustle and bustle of work, school, family and church obligations, it can be easy to let things slide. Adelle has some simple ways we can add the Scriptures into each day.
I’ve found that when the lazy days of Summer fade and school bells ring I try to recommit myself and my family to our goals. It is a time of new beginnings! We brush the dust off of our reading books, get to bed at a decent hour, and we even eat less ice cream and a few more veggies.
One spiritual goal that is tricky for me to keep up with is daily family scripture study. I love the scriptures and reading them brings happiness, guidance, and peace in my life. But, with four small kids and the busy life that comes with raising them, it has been hard for me to find a good way to squeeze in age-appropriate scripture study into our family schedule.
So instead of giving up, I decided to get creative.
Here are a few ways that I found help me to add the scriptures into our daily lives. I hope they help your family as well. You can talk about them during your Family Night lesson and set goals of your own on how you are going to add more scripture time into your day.
Scripture Mastery Cards
Scripture Mastery Cards are paper flash cards that contain scripture passages. Each card is unique and teaches specific doctrine in just a few verses. The messages are so important and the principles are explained on the back of each card to help with instruction and application. They have cards for each of the books in the Bible and also for the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. You can pick and choose what books you want to include in your own study.
The best part about these handy little cards is that they are already prepared and waiting for you each day. My kids take turns picking one from the pile during breakfast in the mornings. The child gets to read the verse aloud to the rest of the family and then we briefly talk about what it means. It only takes a few minutes!
I love these scriptures because they are the most popular verses from the standard works. Even young kids are able to understand and relate to them better than reading a random excerpt from the scriptures. The scripture mastery verses are the golden nuggets! This practice has become our standard go-to method for getting at least one scripture passage a day into our routine.
Weekly Verse
Another simple way to add the words of Christ into your family’s day is to pick a Scripture of the Week. You can talk about it on Sunday or during Family Night. Talk about the message of the verse or verses and then think of ways that it applies to your family specifically. Then, display it in your home. You can print it out on paper and hang it on the fridge or write it on a chalk board or white board and display it where everyone can see it.
Make it a point to read the verse aloud as a family each day. You can do it before school, at nighttime family prayer, or during dinner. Repetition is a valuable learning tool. Your family will begin to memorize the words from the scriptures. They will become part of their thoughts and thus keep them in tune with the Holy Ghost.
If you want to make things even more fun, erase a word or two each day from the scripture passage. See if your family can say the scripture aloud, even with the missing words. By the end of the week, you will be surprised at how much your kids can remember.
Scripture Notes
When I was in High School, my best friend and I shared a set of scriptures in our Seminary class. She would attend the religion class early in the day and at some point during the lesson, she would write me a little note to stick in the scripture case that held our shared books. Then, when I attended class later that day, I found the note and replied back with my own message for her to find the next morning. It was a simple practice, but it was sure fun for us! I looked forward to opening our scriptures each day to find my special note inside.
Wouldn’t it be fun to incorporate this note passing activity into your family? I have two daughters that are just getting old enough to read the scriptures on their own. If they knew that their Mom or Dad had left them a secret message bookmarking their place in the scriptures, they’d certainly be more motivated to open the book and do a little reading. In turn, it would help remind me, as a Mama, to do some scriptures study myself.
The communication back and forth can be simple and lighthearted–including jokes or brief genuine compliments. But, I believe, it can also become a way for children to communicate with their parents in a safe and nonthreatening way. If the child has questions or concerns, having a set habit of written communication could make it easier for them to ask without embarrassment or fear. It is a lot of fun and will strengthen any relationship, even between the reader and their Heavenly Father.
Technology Help
There are times when I want to throw all of the electronic devices in our home in the trash. Television, iPhones, tablets, and video games can be distracting and obnoxious. But, there is also some good that comes from the handy little screens as well. There are several Apps that are designed to encourage scripture reading. And since most of us, kids included, have smart phones glued to our hands most of the time, it is a perfect tool to use for scripture study!
You can have a scripture a day delivered right to your phone. Download the entire standard works onto your phone memory so it is available wherever you go, or follow church leaders on Facebook and read their wise council.
One of my favorite things to do is follow scripture related threads on Instagram and Facebook. As a family, you can decide what pages to follow and then when you are scrolling through your news feeds you will accidentally happen upon the words of the Gospel. How neat is that?
Take time during your time together in the car, while you are waiting for dinner to cook, or during homework time to ask your family what good things they had pop up on their social media feeds that day. Maybe you could even pull our your phones and show each other. Having positive Gospel messages a part of your social media experience is such a necessity. If you are going to combat the craziness of the world, you have to do it at all times and in all places.
I hope that these ideas will help you and your family to add scripture study into your daily lives. These are simple baby steps to get stared. They work with small children and even teenagers!
Conclusion
In the Bible, we are taught the importance of scripture study. The Lord tells us that, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3: 16-17) When we read the word of God we are inspired to become more like God and our lives are filled with goodness.
If you have any suggestions on ways that you have added more scripture time into your daily life, please comment below. It is always nice to hear new ideas.
For more posts like this, try these:
I Love the Book of Mormon (and It’s My Gift to YOU)
How to Never Miss a Day Reading Scriptures
7 Simple Learning Strategies to Help with Scripture Study