Setting a S.M.A.R.T. Scripture Memory Goal

At the beginning of every 

    school year, 

        quarter,

            and calendar year,

I would help my fourth and fifth grade students set goals for themselves in three areas -- school, home, and spiritual. Some of them would need some coaching because they would want to "be more nice" (which wasn't very measurable) or "get an A on every spelling test" (which wasn't realistic for some and wasn't enough of a challenge for others). I tried to teach them how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals (an acronym originally used by George T. Doran in a 1981 article "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives")

Last week, I shared about four types of Scripture memory goals (which became five). Whichever type you picked (a certain number of verses per week/month, a passage/chapter/book, whatever your kids are learning, an album of Scripture songs, or a previously-learned project), I'd like to help you this week to make it a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

SPECIFIC - If you are too vague, it’s hard to move forward in a clear direction. Maybe you don’t know what verses you’ll memorize, but you could still be specific in how many you aim to memorize, like one verse every month. For those of you doing an extended passage, this may be hard because you might not know what kind of pace you’re capable of. Resist being vague with, “I’m going to start working on James.” Do you want to finish it this year? Or the first two chapters?  Be specific! 

MEASURABLE - It should be clear at the end of the year whether or not your goal was met. I challenged my students that “be nicer” was hard to evaluate. Part of being measurable is deciding on your level of mastery. My friend Jeremy, who memorized several books of the Bible in high school (and we’re talking books like Matthew with twenty-eight chapters and 1st and 2nd Corinthians!), said that they would consider a chapter mastered when he could recite it with four or fewer mistakes (or "helps"). If that seems too daunting, maybe you'll allow yourself a “cheat sheet” with the first letter of every word. Is it mastered when you can recite it? Write it? Type it? Do you want to be able to recite all the verses cumulatively at the end of the year, or are you satisfied with knowing them a month at a time? Make it measurable!

ATTAINABLE - If your goal is too ambitious, it will be easy to give up when you get “behind” on progress. Think through your year and your bandwidth (obviously not yet knowing what curveballs 2021 will throw our way). It’s a tricky balance between challenging yourself while still keeping it achievable. If you’ve never memorized a book of the Bible, I don’t suggest you begin with Genesis! If needed, set your goal low to gain some momentum (think Dave Ramsey’s debt snowball, if you’re familiar with that concept). You can always adjust your goal as you go. Set yourself up for success by setting an attainable goal!

RELEVANT - I always suggest that you pick verses that are relevant to YOU right now. Or pick a passage that you’ve always loved and want to commit to memory. There is some benefit in joining someone else by memorizing the same thing, but if it doesn’t speak to you, you’ll find yourself fizzling out. Make your goal relevant to YOU.

TIME-BASED - This Scripture memory challenge has a built-in “deadline,” if you will — December 31, 2021. I encourage you to set a goal for the year. Maybe you won’t finish a book this year, but you can commit to learning the first two chapters. I’m working on the first half of Romans this year and, Lord willing, will finish the whole book by the end of 2022. If your goal will go beyond a year's time, then make a tentative plan for when the whole thing will be finished. If we aren't time-based, we may end up staying in the same project forever.

In the middle of the practicalities of goal-setting, I never want us to lose sight of the why, so I'll try to include that regularly in these posts.

My friend Jeremy (the one who memorized Matthew) encouraged me with this truth as I was seeking advice in my own Scripture memory journey:

Only two things on earth are eternal:

people (1 Corinthians 15:53-55)

and God's Word (1 Peter 1:24-25).

These are the only things

worth investing in.

Friends, let's spend our time and energy making eternal investments this year!

Again, as we head into the second half of the month:

1. Set a S.M.A.R.T. Scripture memory goal for the year.
2. Make a tentative plan and start to work on the first verse(s).
3. Check in next week with your goal and progress so far (I'll post the Official Check-In on Facebook and on this blog next Sunday afternoon, but if you opt for a recitation video instead of reciting to someone, you can go ahead and post that anytime).
4. If you think of someone who might want to join us on this journey, feel free to invite!