"Aren't You Going To Write This Down?" (Deuteronomy 11:18-20)

I once had another dermatopathologist cover my practice during a vacation. She came in a few days earlier before I left to go over the protocols for dictating and completing a case. As I explained the steps, she seemed disinterested, only occasionally nodding as I went into great details about the nuances of the dictation system. After about 5 minutes, I looked at her and asked, “Aren’t you going to write this down?”

“Oh no, “ she confidently smiled. “I can remember this, it is very straightforward.”

Really? I gave her the benefit of the doubt but recalled dozens of other pathologists who took several days to learn this system. I had my doubts. Sure enough, after I came back from my vacation, I asked my colleagues and secretaries whether she was as adept at learning the dictation system as she boasted. They all rolled their eyes and exclaimed, “She was asking us questions every five minutes!”

I am respectful of the way people learn, but sometimes common sense and practicality override any style of learning. Perhaps this woman thought she could remember everything. Perhaps it was her pride and unwillingness to admit she needed to take notes. All I know is she was no different from any other who came before or after her.

I read the Bible everyday. I have verses posted in my closet at home and every wall in my office. There are Bible verses in the bathroom at work. There are even Bible verses on my garage door! And yet, as often as I read these verses, I still have not memorized some of them.

You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 11:18-20 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit knows I, and many others, struggle with remembering things. Regardless of one’s learning style, He gives us practical advice….write it down and place it everywhere you regularly spend time. It is a slow and arduous path, but with God’s help and direction, I will succeed!

Amen!

Love and trust the Lord, seek His will in your life.