I have been an avid reader almost since learning to understand language. I use the term, read, to include listening to recorded books since that is my primary mode of information intake. So in that sense I was reading before I learned to read. 🙂 To my beloved teachers who will take issue with that statement, I do recognize the value of actually reading and as I mentioned in the book, I wish I had been more diligent about it. Now on to the point.

Usually, I will read a book once and move on. There are a few favorite stories that I have read two or three times, but those are rare exceptions. I am even less likely to reread a non-fiction volume, even if I think it’s really good.

There is one notable exception to that pattern. You can probably guess what it might be. It is the Bible. In part that is because I consider it part of my service to God. It is the source of real truth. He gave it to us. We have been rightly taught as Christians that we should constantly read and meditate on it. I cannot count the number of times I have read it through. Much of it has been read with greater frequency as I study or seek to understand specific issues. It is the textbook for life.

I probably should be, but I have never been a committed memorizer. There are verses I can recite from memory, but this comes from frequent reference more than intentional efforts at retention. Many more passages I remember in general. If I can’t immediately come up with the address, (chapter and verse) I have an idea where to look. I know the Bible better than many seminary graduates I have met. That’s not because I’m anything special. It is simply that I have read it over and over and over … “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11 LSB)

It occurred to me today as I happened to be reading a new addition of a book I had read in the past that the same practice is applicable to anything we consider to be worth remembering. God’s word should always take first place and it provides the standard by which all other claims to truth should be evaluated. When you find something else that affirms this truth and helps you live it better, you can apply the same principle. Most of us don’t retain much of the information we take in. Repetition helps to create a more permanent place for it in our brains.

So, if you read it once and found it to contain information that is helpful or useful in some way, read it again. You need not strive to remember it word for word. The more you read it, the more it will stick. Do this with the Bible most of all, but the same principle applies to anything you want to keep in mind.