Psalm 1:3
I remember, long ago, when I was in middle school, I had a friend who described himself as a serious bowler. I knew he was serious when I learned that he owned his own bowling ball, complete with custom-drilled finger holes, a polished, flashy swirl of bright colors, and a special bowling ball bag for transport. He offered to teach me how to bowl, and I agreed to be his student.
My mother dropped us off at the bowling alley (we were too young to drive ourselves), and the first lesson began. He was knocking down pins with ease, while I was throwing gutter ball after gutter ball—zero points, attempt after attempt. He could see the frustration on my face, and he exclaimed excitedly, “You are doing great!”
“What are you talking about?” I answered. “I can’t knock down one pin.”
His reply I remember clearly. He said, “You are very consistent. Being consistent is good. All we have to do is change one thing—one thing at a time—and you will get better.” That is what we worked on: small changes, staying consistent, one thing at a time. And I improved significantly.
The real lesson that I learned, which has stayed with me all these years, is that consistency, even when starting in failure, can be the pathway to success. Scripture offers some guidance for this question, responding with these words:
“Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on it day and night” (Psalm 1:1–3).
The psalmist is stressing consistency—a day-and-night dedication to studying the law of the Lord. This is reminiscent of the daily sacrifice found in Exodus 29:39: “You shall offer the one sheep in the morning, and the second sheep you shall offer in the afternoon.” We do not have animal sacrifices today, but the admonition for daily meditation, however small, can be life-changing.
There is one additional advantage to daily meditation on God’s words, and that is memory. Memories are created in different ways—sometimes through physical activity, such as riding a bike, and sometimes through quiet observation, such as learning to talk. Almost all learning requires some measure of repetition. Our brains absorb tremendous amounts of data, most of which is noted by our subconscious and is not recallable.
Recallable memory is called declarative memory (for example, “What is the capital of the state?”). For the neurons in our brains to retain this information, repetition and salience are key. Neural connections become stronger with recurring activation. And should we forget something, the second effort to learn it again takes less time and effort than the first.
Set a goal and choose a book of the Bible and “make it yours.” Keep it simple so it will not feel burdensome. For example, read just one chapter each evening. Review the chapter the next day and proceed. Every evening too much? Then try once a week. This may give you more time to integrate what you have covered. Setting aside a regular and consistent portion of the day for spiritual concerns will likely bring one closer to peace, understanding, and holiness.