#19--69 Things I've Learned--John 3:16 was burned into my heart after a second-grade Christmas program
August 28, 2015
I remember being a little nervous about reciting John 3:16 before a church filled with parents and others at a Christmas program performed by the Lutheran school I attended. I was in second grade and my job was to recite John 3:16.
My mother helped me memorize it and when the time came I was able to get up before the filled church and recite it flawlessly. That simple role had a lifelong effect on me. I've never forgotten this verse and there haven't been many days in my almost 69 years that I haven't had this verse go through my head.
It stuck with me. When I was awake during a reconstruction on a broken ankle, it automatically came back to me. Same thing during a series of eye surgeries. The night my mother died. The mornings that my kids were born. And the middle of the night when I go to the bathroom.
As I continue on my march to remember what I've learned in almost 69 years, the importance of scripture memory has to stand near the top of the list.