Reviewing Methods
Philippians 3:16
Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
When the first time I memorize the new verses, that is the 'play' part, for the discovery brings so much joy and excitement which somehow I miss out when I just read the texts. The reviewing part is necessary to cement them to memory and could become a 'work' but for me its all worth it. In fact, I find insights and more understanding during reviewing times, even years after I had initially have stored them in my heart.
This is my favorite spot of reviewing, while on MRT on my way to work, near the door and facing the window so no one will be disturbed while I recite - trying to be as silent as I can.
Recently I have tried to use a digital voice recorder to aid in my reviews. So when I recite a recent chapter I just memorized, I would record my voice, then check later it against my bible if anything I miss out. This is really helpful to detect any mistakes, so I would not cement the mistakes but correct them as early possible. I did wished that I learned this method before because I had been doing my reviews all these months by reciting in my mind or silently. This is because the time I have to review usually was when travelling as in the image above, or when I'm on shower, or when lights are off and I am about to sleep with my children. Using a recorder I could easily detect that I would change the articles or connectors (a, the, with) or sometimes I replace a word with a synonym, or the word orders are different but the important thing is the thought is there. I think the impact of these minor mistakes has no huge significance - I guess for me, since I had no plan to recite this to others, maybe for my close family in case say I am teaching my children.
This is something I always remind myself - not to make myself overwhelmed for the Word itself is alive and convicting to internalize how much more to recite them with the tone as how the author might have conveyed it or how it is read smoothly. After all, my main objective on doing this - to know the Lord more and to be renewed in my mind by His words and so not stained by the world, and be able to obey Him, to have something in my memory that the Holy Spirit can recall to me at time of need.
So far those I have memorized for a long time are quite smoother to recite although there will be some portions that are not easy to remember, then I would need to check the Bible. Thus I also take note of them and put it in another tab of my schedule. Example below, I put the reference where in the page it can be seen, say John 5:19-30 are in he left -> left upper side. Then I put the date when I entered and last review.
These numbers will appear in the 'plan for morning' column or 'actual reviewed morning' after words "Diffc". For example, for Philippians, I note two parts that are difficult to recite so I entered them "Diff 5&6 Ent" on the 12th of November then when I reviewed them I put "Diffc 5,6-rev".
Aside from adding above about "difficult to review", I also now tries to change my reviewing frequency. So if before my review is recite once for 7 days, then weekly for a month, then two weeks, then monthly. Because of this discovery that my reviews are not smooth, after I am done with 7 days daily review - sometimes I extend more than 7 days, also I will add more reviews before putting to weekly, maybe 2-3 times a week, then weekly for as long as it is smoother, then that's the time I will put to two weeks, then eventually monthly.
Sometimes, there are phases that I just can't get right in my reviews, so sometimes I will try to write them and check my writing against my recording.
For enumerations, sometimes I'd be creative to remember some initials and if initial is difficult to remember too then I will make up a word from it ex: "hoslog-sup-hold" for Titus 1:8 "hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy and discipline.
For some repeating phase I use simple drawings and take a photo of it into the "difficult to review" tab. (I did this first when I start to memorize James, but I no longer draw except when during times that at reviewing I still could forget, and my drawing looks funny so I wont show here). For example John 17:21-22. The repeating form "you, (Father) are in me" and "I in you" , "they ~ in us" then another verse later says "I in them", "you in me", these are quiet confusing in my mind so the drawings with arrows and cross(Lord), and people sticks in my mind much better than words. Whatever it takes that would work for me, and I am still open for any ways to optimize my methods of keeping His precious words in my heart.
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