How I Mark My Scriptures

I received a sweet comment on Instagram last week asking about my scripture marking system. So today’s post is dedicated to the topic of scripture marking and I will do a follow-up post soon about scripture study journals.

First off, I have to give credit to my angelic mother. It was she who taught me how to reverence and treasure my scriptures. How could I ever forget the memories I have of my mother pressing her scriptures to her heart like a fragile keepsake, as she would bear testimony of the truthfulness of the scriptures and of her love for them?

It was she who taught me that reading the scriptures from cover to cover is like snorkeling, but a deep study of the scriptures is like scuba diving. Both ways are good and necessary to our growth and understanding of God’s holy word. It was she who taught me how to mark my scriptures.

Now, there are as many ways to mark and study the scriptures as there are people who do so. Today I will share with you just a few. You do not have to do all of them at once. My favorite thing to do is to purchase an inexpensive copy of the Book of Mormon each time I finish it all the way through and mark it up in a new way the next time.

COLOR CODE

When I was a teenager, I used a modified version of my mom's color code system to fit my personal needs. You can code each color with anything specific that fits your needs. With different colors of marking pencils, I underlined verses and phrases as follows:

Yellow: Doctrine

Orange: Warnings

Light Purple (or Pink): Promises and Blessings

Red: The Savior

Green: Qualities I was looking for in a husband

Purple: Qualities I needed to develop to prepare for my eternal companion

SPECIFIC THEMES

• When President Hinckley encouraged us to read the Book of Mormon in 2005, I knew it was definitely time to “snorkel” through my scriptures. But still, I wanted to read with a purpose, so I decided to discover for myself just how much the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ (since its subtitle is, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.) As I read, I underlined in red pencil every time I read a name of Jesus Christ, or the words He spoke. By the time I finished, my copy was filled with thousands of red marks. It was unbelievable. {But don’t take my word for it; experiment for yourself.}
• When I became a mother, I studied the Book of Mormon and made extensive notes in the margins about how to raise children and what to teach them. I was so grateful for my new baby boy, but so overwhelmed with the all-encompassing role of motherhood. This study helped me find such peace and direction at this particular crossroads in my life.
• One time I read the Book of Mormon and paid special attention to each individual book. Usually within the first chapter or two I could clearly see the point the author was going to make. So I marked, circled, and made notes in the margins and when I finished each book I would write the “theme” of the book at the beginning.
• Another time when I was expecting my daughter, I searched for “grace” as I read. It was a profound study on the grace of Jesus Christ and just how much He showers His grace upon His people. I finished the Book of Mormon just days before she was born and gave her the middle name of “Grace.”

I would challenge you to take these things to heart. Some of these ideas may be just what you need—or maybe the Spirit whispered to you a new way to “scuba dive.”

Do you have ways of marking and/or studying the scriptures that have been meaningful to you? I would be so grateful if you would leave your ideas in the comments. I would love to learn from you…