Antihistamines for Your Soul
If you’re new here, I’m memorizing Philippians this year and I’ve been writing about it every other week. But the section for June is Philippians 2:22-30, which is mostly just Paul talking about the ministry and travel plans of Timothy and Epaphroditus. It’s still part of God’s Word and still something we can learn from…but not enough to squeeze two blog posts out of it.
So I thought instead I would circle back to the “why” of memorizing Philippians (or any other large chunk of Scripture.) I’ve been memorizing like this for over ten years now, and I still feel weird talking about it.
I feel the same way about my habit of reading or listening to the entire Bible in 90 days once every year or so. It feels like it’s some kind of Bible nerd flex and I’m either bragging about my own accomplishments or judging you for not doing the same thing.
But let me tell you about something else as an example:
It’s peak allergy season here, and being allergic to every form of pollen is not great when your job involves riding through tall grass and clover. I take one antihistamine every morning, and a different kind every evening.
I also use eyedrops and nasal spray as needed, and make sure to wash my face thoroughly every time I come inside. When it gets really bad, I’ll even take a Benadryl in the middle of the day along with some extra caffeine so I hopefully don’t get too drowsy.
Let me guess what you’re probably NOT thinking. “Oh my! You’re so disciplined and motivated to do all that. I could never do that, but that’s so great for you!”
Umm no. You’re probably feeling sorry for me for having such terrible allergies. (which you also probably shouldn’t because I don’t do a whole lot to limit my exposure to pollen and refuse to try allergy shots, but that’s not the point here.)
The point is that you naturally recognize all the work I do to fight my allergies is not “extra,” it’s an indication that I have a problem and am fighting hard to mitigate it.
But it’s harder to see how taking in so much Scripture is the same thing.
My brain is pretty crazy. I’m never sure whether it’s ADHD or anxiety or just how all of our brains are in this world full of distractions, but it just never. shuts. off. If I just let my brain go wherever it wants I don’t like where it ends up.
And THAT is why I try so hard to keep Scripture in my mind. Memorizing big chunks means I always have something to try to recite. Reading or listening to the whole Bible in 90 days means I always know where to go when I pick up my Bible or app.
I share all this because I think a lot of people believe the lie (or maybe it’s a half-truth) that this much Scripture is something for Bible nerds, people who are good at memorizing or good at reading or simply have the time for it.
I say it’s a half-truth because it is true that you don’t HAVE to memorize or read this much to follow Jesus. It’s also true that you can be in the Word every day and still not be anything like Jesus.
But the subtle lie underneath is that you can ever have “too much” Scripture in your life. Friends, you CANNOT overdo it on God’s Word and fellowship with him.
Maybe you’re not in a place right now where you feel like you need a constant stream of Scripture in your mind for the same reasons as I do. But I guarantee there is some part of your life that needs a heavy dose of truth.
It might look more like studying one particular book, or a prayer habit, or just starting a smaller Bible plan. Or maybe you’re ready to jump in the deep end with memorizing whole books or doing a 90 day Bible plan. Whatever you choose, there is no scenario where you will regret giving Jesus a bigger portion of your heart and mind.
Still not sure where to start? I have a whole PDF guide with 12 ways to go deeper into God’s Word. Click here to download it!