This month was the "Perfect Month" of scripture study. I studied my scriptures for 30 minutes every day for a month and it was wonderful.
I learned a few important lessons through this process.
1. For me, 30 minutes of reading is not the same as 30 minutes of studying. Whenever I spent the entire 30 minutes reading, my study was inferior and I came away with fewer insights and less spiritual uplift. What seemed to work best for me was to read, pray, and ponder as the spirit prompted me. At times, this meant reading a line and spending the next ten minutes writing my thoughts. At other times, it meant praying to God about something that came to mind while I read, whether it seemed directly connected or not. Often I found that by following my thoughts wherever they took me, I learned what my Heavenly Father wanted me to.
2. Discussing what you study whether in a blog post or with my husband or friend served as a good way for me to review the points that stuck with me and try to gain a better understanding of why they stuck.
3. Paying attention to the big picture helps you see glimpses into God's plan for you. Having this blog as I went through the month made it easier for me to see the Lord's lesson plan. As I reviewed what I'd learned from beginning to end I watched the whole month's insights come full circle into a complete and beautiful lesson that the Lord prepared specifically for me and according to my current needs.
I'd like to share a bit of what I learned from point three. When I began this month I felt like my faith was at a weak point so I began my study by focusing on the topic of faith. As I let the spirit guide my reading over the next few days I was led to study love. I learned that I am extremely selective about the people I choose for heroes and I learned that I need not be. People everywhere are worthy of the title "hero." It takes a heart full of love to discover in what way each person in your life deserves that title.
I have always wondered why the scriptures often connect faith, hope, and charity. Faith and hope seem clearly related but I wondered what charity had to do with the other two. As the Lord has worked His miracles in my life this month, I found that learning to love as Christ does automatically builds hope and faith. My faith is no longer a concern to me and I finally understand the connection between the three. This is by far the greatest blessing and lesson that I have taken from this month.
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