And it Came to Pass

This past week Sophia, age two, asked to participate in family scripture reading for the first time.    In the past she has occasionally let us whisper the verse in her ear while she repeated it, but this time, she said very firmly, "I will do it by myself."  Then she opened her book on her lap and proceeded to read, "And it came to pass…."  After those first five words she said all kinds of interesting things including talking about the toy that baby David was holding.  But it was those first five words that were music to my ears.  You see, seven other times in the past 21 years I have witnessed a similar event.  When children are included in family scripture study right from the time they are born they seem to just soak up the language of the scriptures.  They internalize phrases like "it came to pass."  When Sophia finished her "verse" she finished by saying, "Amen," a common way for chapters to end in the Book of Mormon. 
 
Many of my children have participated in a Shakespeare class offered by some homeschooling mothers in our community.  When the children read their first Shakespeare play they find it very difficult to understand the language of "the bard."  But one of the requirements for the class is to read and watch as many plays as they can throughout the semester.  Sometimes my children have read as many as twenty plays.  By the end of the class, the language of Shakespeare seems much easier for them to understand.  They can read through the plays much quicker and still follow what is going on.  When the language is no longer a stumbling block, they can focus on the themes and meaning that Shakespeare has woven into his stories.

It is the same with the scriptures.  Familiarity with the language of the scriptures comes through reading regularly.  When the language is easier for us to understand, our minds are more freed up to think and ponder the doctrine and principles we are reading.  We can apply the scriptures to our own lives more readily. 

So that is why I get excited to hear my children using scripture language.  It means that they have heard the language and know how it should be used.
 
Anne G. Wirthlin (a past member of the Primary General Presidency) said in a 1998 General Conference:

"Recent research on the development of a child's brain has revealed new insights into how and when a child learns.  I quote from a (recent) study: "From birth, a baby's brain cells proliferate wildly, making connections that may shape a lifetime of experience.  The first three years are critical" (J Madeleine Nash, "Fertile Minds," Time, 3 Feb. 1997, 49).

"Is it surprising that our Father in Heaven fashioned the minds of very young children to be so capable of learning at a time when they need to be taught who they are and what they must do?  The years from birth to age 10 are the peak years for acquiring the language that will become the foundation for understanding future knowledge and truth.  That foundation is formed by the words they hear and the impressions that come to them from the world around them.  It is an ideal time for parents to read to their children from the scriptures.  They will begin to learn the language of the scriptures."