Mormon Insights My Struggle with Scripture Study / page

[Title] My Struggle with Scripture Study, Scriptures Study: Its Worth the Effort, Making
Scriptures a Priority Again

Commented [SS1]: I like the first option the most; its

short and lets me know immediately that I will be reading a
personal narrative, which draws me in.

[Kicker] Makinge scriptures a priority in our lives is a choice with a healing effectthat can heal
us.
[Highlights of the source article]
I was three months offI had been home from my mission for three months and I was already
having trouble reading scriptures.
I had read scriptures for an hour every day on my mission and had promised myself upon
returning home that I would continue the habit. However, as time passed, I started tried to justify
my lack of scripture reading with excuses: I had too much homework, I was too busy working, I
could make time later. With each excuse, my desire to read scriptures shrunk until I was forcing
myself to read just a verse a day.
One night, as I opened the scriptures Book of Mormon to read my regular verse of scriptures
before bed, I opened to Jacob 2:8, in which Jacob describes scriptures as the word which
healeth the wounded soul. [https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/jacob/2.8?lang=eng] After
reading this verse, I realized the effect thathow neglecting the scriptures had had on affected me.
I was more stressed;. I was more apathetic at church. ; I felt distanced from God. Just as an ill
patient needs medicine, my soul needed the healing balm of the scriptures to help me repent of
my sins and connect with God.
In his Ensign address, Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority,
[https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faith-your-firstpriority?lang=eng] Elder Richard G. Scott speaks to those struggling with scripture reading when
he states: Dont yield to Satans lie that you dont have enough time to study the scriptures.
Choose to take time to study them.
Once scripture study became a priority in my life, I felt like I had more time in the day to
accomplish what I needed. More importantly, I felt a closeness with God that I had been lacking.
When I chose to study the scriptures, the Lord healed my wounded soul and brought me peace.
[Word Count: 282]
Read Elder Scotts Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority,
[https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faith-your-firstpriority?lang=eng] to learn more about the blessings of putting that come when you prioritize the
exercise of faith first in life.
Source: Ensign [https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faithyour-first-priority?lang=eng]
Sarah Bennion Keenan, Medford, OR

Commented [SS2]: Consider changing the first part of this

sentence as shown to avoid ambiguity or confusion.
Commented [SS3]: Good, catchy introductory sentence.
Its also relatable to many people.
Commented [SS4]: This is one word only when used as an
adjective; in other circumstances it is two words
Commented [SS5]: There seems to be a disconnect for
me between justify and excuses, perhaps because
excuses dont generally justify something. Consider
changing the first part of the sentence to: However, as
time passed, I tried to justify my lack of scripture reading
with excuses: This way, it shows that your excuses werent
actually enough to justify (and therefore further highlights
that there was a problem that needed fixing).
Commented [SS6]: I like the effect of separating these
sentences with periods, but I also think you might want to
consider using semicolons. I think this creates more of a
buildup.

Commented [SS7]: When I followed your link to the

source, I found that the original quote by Elder Scott reads:
Dont yield to Satans lie that you dont have time to study
the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them.
Commented [SS8]: In this sentence you could include
more quantifiable ways that you improved your scripture
study, such as, More importantly, as I increased the
number of hours that I studied and devoted more time to
deciphering different meanings behind the verses I read, I
felt a closeness with God that I had been lacking.
Commented [SS9]: This paragraph is a good connection
to the previous problems you addressed, but I would
include even more of your positive experiences after
changing your scripture study habits. This would make it so
that the article wasnt weighted as heavily towards the
problem.

Mormon Insights My Struggle with Scripture Study / page

Find more insights

Take a look at Kristen G. Waltons Ensign article, 13 Ways to Study Scriptures, for ways to
rejuvenate your scripture study. [https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/04/13-ways-to-study-thescriptures?lang=eng]
Read The Blessings of the Scriptures by Elder D. Todd Christofferson for an apostolic
testimony on the power importance of modern scriptures. [https://www.lds.org/generalconference/2010/04/the-blessing-of-scripture?lang=eng&_r=1]
Watch Elder Jeffrey R. Hollands Mormon Message Testimony of the Book of Mormon to
learn more about the power of the Book of Mormon.
[https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-women-in-our-lives-1]
[Info for the Web Team]
[Tags:]
[My Struggle with Scripture Study], [Elder Richard G. Scott], [Scripture study], [Sarah
Bennion Keenan], [Mormon Insights], [Scriptures], [Priority], [Make the Exercise of
Faith Your First Priority], [Wounded Soul], [God], [Jacob]
[SEO keywords:] scriptures

Commented [SS10]: Chicago 10.12

Commented [SS11]: Consider changing power to

importance to avoid repetition between this paragraph
and the next.