I got a new set of scriptures for Christmas and, even though it has been hard letting go of my old ones, I am loving the adventure of marking up a new set. It is almost like reading the scriptures for the first time again. I am discovering things that I never saw before, and it is really fun.
I decided when I got this new set that I wanted to mark every story about women and all the references to women in the scriptures. I chose a blue colored pencil and as I’ve been studying my scriptures I take the time to mark and highlight every time that a woman, groups of women, or anything female (symbolism, animals, parables, etc) is mentioned.
I chose to highlight the entire verse (sometimes it is even a whole chapter) because I use these women’s story alot and wanted to be able to find them quickly in my scriptures. I have a friend though who simply put brackets around verses with women. You could also highlight the verse number with a small circle around it, or anything else you think would work for you!
The inspiration for this marking system was President Hinckley’s challenge to read through the Book of Mormon and highlight every time Christ was mentioned in red. He said that having that visual representation (the pages literally turn red) is a powerful reminder that the Book of Mormon is indeed another testimony of Jesus Christ. In a similar way it has been a huge testimony builder for me to have a visual representation of how much women are mentioned in the scriptures. I pull out my blue pencil at least, if not several times, every time I study the scriptures. My pages are slowly turning blue, which now that I think about it is kind of funny. Why didn’t I choose pink or red to mark their stories?
If struggle (or have ever struggled) with women’s roles or place in the gospel (to any degree) I’d challenge you to do go through your scriptures and mark the stories of women. Not only will this force you to read your scriptures (which is #1 on the list of “things to do to strengthen your testimony of the gospel”) but it will also give you a powerful witness that women are NOT left out the scriptures and that we are not second class citizens in God’s kingdom. The more I study the scriptures with my eyes open to the women in them, the more I realize the immensity of God’s love for His daughters and our important role in His plan.
Even if you don’t’ struggle with women’s issues I encourage you to try this, I promise it will change your perception of yourself in an incredible way. You can get started with it by taking my “Women in the Scriptures Challenge”.
I hope you try, there are some incredible women in the scriptures waiting to meet you!
do you have the reference when Pres. Hinckley said to mark all the times you see the word Christ? I would love to have it.
I have done that many times in the BOM, even the he's and thy, when it's talking about him. It's a powerful thing to do.
So funny, I've actually been doing that exact same thing with MY new set of scriptures. I'm excited to hear about the new things you learn.
Blue for Divine Nature, right?
I'm so excited…I have brand new scriptures coming to our house in a couple of weeks (hopefully less time!) and I'm for sure going to do this! SUCH a great idea! :o) p.s. I love your blog!
Blue is perfect! It was considered the colour of women for centuries… nearly all depictions of Mary show her wearing blue.
I love the idea of getting a new set of scriptures. I was thinking of doing something similar with the paperback BoM, and marking different themes in a different one.
Becky, I will try to find that link to Pres. Hinckley's talk. I'm not sure where it is… but I know it exists.
And yes! I love the idea of blue for divine nature— see I knew I chose it for some reason 😉
I still need to write up some of my experiences doing this. And hey! I even used blue.
I've read the Book of Mormon twice with this focus. It has been amazing.
This is a great idea. It reminds me of a challenge Sister Beck gave the women at Women's Conference a couple years ago:
"I have a little exercise for those of you who want something specific to do in your scripture
study. Get a new little copy of the Book of Mormon. In the front of it, open to a blank page and
write three questions: Who am I? What are my responsibilities in the house of Israel? How do I
fulfill my responsibilities? As you read and study, you will find some blank pages in the back.
You can add Post-it notes if you like. Start writing your answers in the back as you read, and you
will have a journey of discovery about who you are."
It's a little bit different focus, but still a similar approach to scripture study like you've mentioned. Thanks for the reminder!
I started this a while ago. I marked it with blue, but I lost enthusiasm for it. I should start again. I try and try again I guess. Its been a hard road for me. And I love the stories of women in the scriptures where it really honestly shows we can Preside (Really honestly, Debroah, as judge, how is that not presiding?), that we are protectors (The stories of the two midwives in the bible, saving the male children from slaughter, I mean a woman saving men). It has the nurturer role all over the place. Yes now that I think about it, the roles are so vast and wonderful.
My main problem is: The General Authorities do not interpret nor read the scriptures this way.
So..hmm…I have spiritual experiences, but I wish the General Authorities would have the same ones.
I found the source for President Hinckley's challenge! http://bit.ly/UmjSaY. September 2003 New Era, if the link doesn't work. I knew I had read that before as well, and got determined to find it. LOL. Thanks for your blog! I appreciate it so much. I'm trying to improve my personal scripture study AND my appreciation for women in the scriptures. I figure it will only help me in my life, right?
New to your blog, but I am loving it so far. Looking forward to all the interesting things you post about.