Memory.  It is not something we think of often, but whenever we think at all we are using our memories.  We access knowledge we have learned or experiences we have gone through in order to make sense of whatever we are currently dealing with at the moment.  This can even be such simple thinking as looking at a familiar object in front of you or trying to go to sleep.  Your memory is working informing you of what you see in front of you or what you are trying to do such as going to sleep.  What you have experienced literally changes the way you are moving forward through life.

Image from Pixabay

What is Memory?

I was recently reading an educational/psychological synthesis titled Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn by John Hattie and Gregory Yates in order to deepen my knowledge of how students learn and thus improve my teaching in the classroom.  I came across several parts in the book that talk about memory and it actually made me think about how important memory is to our spiritual lives.

The first, which completely took hold of my attention, spoke about long-term memory.  The passage said, “This form of memory determines who you are, what you can do, and how you see your world” (Hattie and Yates, 122).

Its spiritual application can be very easily seen.  Our memory functions every time we pray.  If we are thanking God for something He did, then this prayer is the result of us using our memories to remember His works and to glorify Him and thank Him for them.  If we are asking Him for something, then it is the result of us remembering what we want and remembering to go to Him for all our needs.  If we forget everything readily and happily, then we will not offer much glory and praise that we can give to our Lord.  In a way, if we do not pay attention to developing our memories, then our worship truly suffers and our relationship with God can never achieve its potential.

Our memory functions every time we make decisions through the guidance of the teachings of our Lord Jesus and the Apostles.  When we see the world based on the Scriptures and what we have learned from Church, then we are using our memories to live the life Christ taught us to live.

Hattie and Yates point out that “Metaphorically, the long-term memory is the archival library store where data are filed for retrieval … the passage of time alone does not dim this system” (Hattie and Yates, 122).

Our Memory is a Library of God’s Works in our Lives

To expand on Hattie and Yates’s metaphor, our lives are a library, and that library’s books are written on the paper of our memories.  If we leave those books closed and let them collect dust, then we are being negligent with the records of the works God has done in our lives.  We are even withholding glory and praise that we can offer to God.  But some say that they have bad memories, so how do we open those books?  The answer is by reflection.  Reflection is the key to retaining memories.  Think about it.  Think of some of your oldest or most cherished memories.  Why do you remember them?  It is because you reflected about them after they happened.  This is why they became permanent in your long-term memory.

Some complain that they have bad memories, but the reason is mostly due to a lack of reflection.  The other reason is due to focus (as you will see below in the research of Hattie and Yates).

We live in a world that fears reflection.  We do not want to think of past events where we felt pain or embarrassment or failure, but by doing this we are living in our own reality.  The true reality is that we have been formed by our past experiences both good and bad.  Not thinking of the bad because it is painful is to refuse to see the good that God has done in your lives through those experiences and since then, assuming you were following Him.  If you were truly following Him, then sit and reflect, and you’ll see how the bad was used by God to lead to goodness whether to strength of character and emotional stability due to having gone through painful and embarrassing events.  Or whether these experiences have led to increased wisdom and awareness on your part so that you avoid them in the future or to counsel others.

The Apostle Paul, for all the strife and hardship that he faced, was always reflective.  There are too many verses in his epistles that show this reflectiveness.  In his openings, he always writes how he was thinking of the churches and his experiences with them, and at times he recalled earlier days in his life in detail.  The example that readily comes to my mind is his reflection in his final epistle, the Second Epistle to Timothy where he says,

“You have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:10-15).

This hearkens back to what Luke has shown us in the Book of Acts of Paul’s life when he went to Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra.  (He was stoned almost to death in Lystra).  Paul reflects in his own epistles about those experiences and what they have led to, and as such, he is able to counsel his disciple Timothy as he shepherds the church to which he has been appointed a bishop.

The other reason why we cannot reflect in order to remember is because we are all over the place, and we don’t have time to sit down and reflect.  “Go buy the groceries” one thought comes to us.  “This is due at work at the end of the week” goes another thought.  Then, on top of that, we go home and due to the expectations we have set at home, there is chaos meeting us there.  Too much time is spent on cleaning up our needs, obligations, and homes that by the time we go to sleep not a minute has been spent on reflection.  We should at least carve out 30 minutes at the end of the day to reflect on each day.  Ideally, write in a journal.  At the end of this article, I offer some suggestions for developing and retaining memories.

Forgetfulness

We as humans can be characterized by forgetfulness.  Even the Arabic word for human, insān, is alleged to come from the word for “forgetfulness” because a human is one who forgets.

But how does forgetfulness come?  It is actually related to attention, value, and reflection.  The things we value are the things we pay close attention to.  And the things we value, we reflect on, and those cannot be easily forgotten.  How many of you remember your high school graduations, wedding days, or births of your children?  You can probably tell me a lot of details.  Now, tell me what happened two days before those events.  If you can’t, why not?  It is because whatever happened those days was not important, it was not valued by you, and you have not reflected upon them, so they have been forgotten.

Hattie and Yates support this in their book saying, “The major cause of apparent forgetting in humans is failing to learn properly in the first place” (Hattie and Yates, 122).  And learning is actually achieved by attention and reflection on what you have seen, heard, or done.

The earliest Christians and not just the Apostles were called disciples.  The word Christian only came to be used by the followers of Christ to describe themselves in the latter part of the 1^st century.  For the first generation of Christians, one of the most common names for Christians was “disciple.”  The word literally means student, and it was used 31 times in the Acts of the Apostles to describe all believers.

If we are students, then we are learners.  And if we are learners, we need to pay close attention, learn properly, and reflect on what we have learned.

What Does Memory Mean for Us As Christians?

When you think about it, whatever makes a person who he or she is his is his or her memory.  A doctor cannot be a doctor unless his memory has stored large amounts of information about the human body, diseases, treatments, and experiences in dealing with cases in the past.

An administrator cannot be an administrator unless he or she has a large store of memory about procedures, policies, and experiences in the past that helps inform his or her administering in the future.

So, we as Christians cannot be Christians unless we have a large store of memory based on the teachings of the Scriptures, have memories of those Christians throughout history who have lived exemplary lives, that is the saints, and have had personal experiences in the past (and remember them) where our Christianity informed our decisions in order to use this information in being a Christian in the future.

Use Your Memory to Memorize Psalms and Bible Verses

The Psalms have been engraved on the hearts and minds of Christians since the very beginning of the Christian faith.  Our Lord Jesus Himself quoted them from memory as did the Apostles.  The Apostle Paul points out in his epistles,

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:15-21).

He connects the use of the Psalms to becoming wise and watchful in the way of the Holy Spirit.

He also said about the words of Christ and the Psalms, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

How can it dwell in us unless we remember it and it lives in our long-term memories?  Again this will lead to a wise and Christian way of life.

And James points out in his epistle, “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).

The Psalms should live in us through our long-term memories and our reflection on them so that they may come to mind when we pray and when we are joyful, and even when we are sad and lonely.  They will keep us company.

How Can We Memorize the Psalms and Bible Verses?

Follow this process for whatever you want to memorize:

1. First, look at only a couple of verses at a time (this is called chunking)
2. Then, read them out loud 5 times at a natural pace
3. Next, write them down and read them out loud as you are writing them down
4. Then, read them again 5 times.
5. Next, try reciting them the following day when you have a chance
6. Then, repeat steps 1-4 about 24 hours later
7. Next, begin reciting them on your own on a daily basis
8. Finally, add the next couple of verses to the Psalm and repeat steps 1-7

This will usually be an effective way to memorize the Psalms and Bible verses.

How Can We Practice Remembering Our Spiritual Lives?

We cannot remember what we do not reflect on.  Think about it.  Everything you remember is due to your reflecting on it after the fact.

There are three good strategies that will help you develop your long-term memory retention:

1. Reflective Journals (for your experiences)

Write a journal entry every day.  Write what happened in your day, what you prayed about, what you read, and what you learned.  Write what made you happy, or what made you frustrated or sad.  Then, reflect on these experiences and think about if there was something you could have done differently.  This does not need to be long.  Take 30 minutes at the end of the day to write.

2. Discussions with family members and close friends

Discuss your life, your faith, your goals, your concerns, your joys, and your frustrations with your family members and close friends.  Discussions help retain information in your long-term memory.

3. Discussions with your Father Confessor

Discuss all of the above with your Father Confessor.  A priest, contrary to popular opinion, does not simply hear your sins, absolves you, and lets you go.  True Confession is about discussion, identifying patterns of growth and sin, and focusing on repentance, watchfulness, and growth.  The greatest saints of the Church displayed this type of relationship with their confessors such as the Apostle Paul and St. Timothy, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, St. Isidore and St. Abba Moses the Black.  If your current priest tells you otherwise, that this is not his job, then it’s time to look for a new father confessor, one that can actually guide you and help you grow in your life in Christ.

The Result

In a world that desperately needs knowledge in order for one to advance and survive, no less do we need knowledge of the Scriptures, our faith, and the Church.

Hattie and Yates point out in their book, “The more knowledge you have the easier it is to learn even more” (Hattie and Yates, 122).  The reason for this is new knowledge requires to be connected to prior knowledge in order for the new knowledge to pass into the long-term memory, but the more prior knowledge we have due to always learning and reflecting, will help us learn fast and even apparently unconsciously.

This reminds me of what our Lord Jesus said at the end of the Parable of the Talents in the Gospel of Matthew, “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:29-30).

The more we develop our memory and remember our past experiences and reflect on them in the light of Christ, the more we will grow spiritually and bring Christ to others.  We will be exactly like the faithful servants in the Parable of the Talents who took what was given to them [in our case, our memories of our experiences] and we will use them to gain more talents [insight, wisdom in our decision making and helping others, and spiritual growth] in order to present them to our Lord at His Coming, and these talents will not only bring us wealth, but we will enrich the Kingdom of God and let its glory shine before men so they may glorify our Father who is in Heaven.

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