Use it or Lose it

I was watching a TV show last night and the main character needed to talk to a deaf person. A line a dialogue explained that her aunt had taught her the alphabet in sign language as a child and so she began spelling things out with her hands to the deaf person without much trouble. Yeah right! When was the last time you recalled a detailed skill from childhood with perfect clarity? Come on Hollywood. Get real.

At some point when I was a kid, I learned the alphabet in sign language. But now all I can remember is just a few letters. About 7 or 8 years ago, I learned to use Morse Code. Now about all I can do is S.O.S. There are countless trivial facts and important bits of learning that over the years have faded away because I just don’t use them. Knowledge, as with anything, is ‘Use it or lose it.’

I say this next part not to brag, but to show a fault. About 6 years ago, I memorized the entire book of Philippians. I could recite the entire thing, word for word. But now, I can only quote small patches here and there. You know what that tells me? I haven’t been using it like I should. When I was memorizing it, I was reading it over and over every day. I would recite it while driving, getting ready in the morning, when sitting around on a break. I had that piece of Scripture in my mind all the time.

But, to my discredit, I got out of the habit and my familiarity with the book lessened.
We can’t expect to read through the Bible once and call it good. We are commanded to be in constant communication (1 Thes 5:16) with God and that requires being in the Word daily, or more (Psalm 1:1-2).

Today, spend some time reviewing verses that have started to fade in your memory.