Can Scripture Study be an Addiction?
Some time ago, I received a message that was written by a sister who was addicted to her scriptures. She read her scriptures first thing in the morning before she even slid out of bed. She read before going to sleep at night. Then, during the day, she simply had to return to read just a few verses more. My mother and I refer to this as the ‘morning fix’, no different than someone who desperately needs a cup of coffee each morning before approaching the world.
My mother has read her scriptures daily for years. When I was a senior in high school, I attended classes only in the mornings. When I came home, my mother would be sitting on the couch reading her scriptures while my youngest sister napped. She would quietly invite me to join her. I would quickly get my own set of scriptures and read with her. Sometimes, we shared our insights as we read and other times, we sat quietly on the couch together lost in our own thoughts.
Because of her wonderful example, I feel just as the stripling soldiers. I have never doubted scripture study because of the testimony of my mother. It is a habit that has been engraved on my heart. 
I come for a long line of scripture studiers. My paternal grandmother who was not a member of the church had a love of the Bible that I had rarely seen at that point in my life. She read from it every day and marked it with a red pencil. When each of her grandchildren turned 12 years old, we received a very special Bible. A beautiful edition –leather bound with our names engraved in gold on the front cover and the words of Christ in red. She truly felt as Nephi of old when he wrote:
“For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them” (2 Nephi 9:15).
When I read this scripture recently, my heart soared. I understood what Nephi was saying. I was the one that he was talking about. He wrote for my profit and learning. I was the one that he wrote to. I wanted to stand up and scream, ‘Thank you, Nephi!’
Do we really understand why Nephi wrote these things? Are we working hard to apply them in our lives?
By Tracy Atkinson
Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband and spirited long-haired miniature dachshunds. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and a master’s in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners and learning styles. She has published several titles, including MBTI Learning Styles: A Practical Approach, Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8, The Personal Pursuit of Perfection and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.
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