May 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering – Scripture Study
The May 2022 Come, Follow Me Ministering printable ties together Elder David A. Bednar’s April 2022 General Conference talk “But We Heeded Them Not” and this May’s “Come, Follow Me” lesson on Joshua and scripture study.
Download May 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable (Primary Color 4×6) (Muted Hues 4×6)
I made the printable to match my box of Swedish Fish, but provided a more muted version as well. You can print these printables as 4×6 photo prints. My local drug store prints them for just pennies. They are also a higher resolution if you want to enlarge them.
May 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering Message
The Importance of Scripture Study – Look at Your Fish
David McCullough, one of my favorite historians, has a rather unusual quote by his desk – “Look at your fish.” Several years ago he explained the significance of the quote in an interview.
It’s the test that Louis Agassiz, the nineteenth-century Harvard naturalist, gave every new student. He would take an odorous old fish out of a jar, set it in a tin pan in front of the student and say, Look at your fish. Then Agassiz would leave. When he came back, he would ask the student what he’d seen. Not very much, they would most often say, and Agassiz would say it again: Look at your fish. This could go on for days. The student would be encouraged to draw the fish but could use no tools for the examination, just hands and eyes.
Samuel Scudder, who later became a famous entomologist and expert on grasshoppers, left us the best account of the “ordeal with the fish.” After several days, he still could not see whatever it was Agassiz wanted him to see. But, he said, I see how little I saw before. Then Scudder had a brainstorm and he announced it to Agassiz the next morning: Paired organs, the same on both sides. Of course! Of course! Agassiz said, very pleased. So Scudder naturally asked what he should do next, and Agassiz said, Look at your fish.
For McCullough the quote is a reminder that looking closely at things, even information that we thought we already knew, can yield fresh insights and discoveries. I personally believe that this is particularly applicable to the scriptures for two reasons.
Be Ready to Find More
First, I am sure that Agassiz’s students thought studying with Agassiz would be much more exciting than staring at a fish. But Agassiz knew the importance of teaching his students how to learn and discover things for themselves. More important than memorizing information was teaching them how to think like himself. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. Memorizing information does no good if it doesn’t change us.
The Lord teaches us line upon line through parables, ordinances, and scriptures. As we study, we are prepared for the next thing He has to teach us. If we look at the scriptures like an old fish – assuming we already know everything about it – we will miss the deeper insights and knowledge the Lord has for us.
So the next time your scripture reading becomes cursory, remind yourself to look at your fish. Go beyond the things you have already noticed and be ready to learn more.
Record What You See
Second, I find it interesting that Agassiz had his students draw the fish. When we carefully try to capture something, we notice more details and discover more insights. Taking notes and writing down impressions is a key step in the revelatory process. It is no wonder that much of the Doctrine and Covenants came while Joseph Smith was translating the Bible. Translating forces you to slow down, write things down, and really notice. So when you look at your fish, don’t forget to write down what you see.
Act On What You Learn
In the Old Testament, as the Lord prepares Joshua to become the prophet after Moses dies, He stresses the importance of studying His word deeply and constantly.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8
In the April 2022 General Conference, Elder David A. Bednar also stresses the importance of studying the word of God in his talk “But We Heeded Them Not.”
“Let me suggest that holding fast to the word of God entails (1) remembering, honoring, and strengthening the personal connection we have with the Savior and His Father through the covenants and ordinances of the restored gospel and (2) prayerfully, earnestly, and consistently using the holy scriptures and the teachings of living prophets and apostles as sure sources of revealed truth. As we are bound and “hold fast” to the Lord and are transformed by living His doctrine, I promise that individually and collectively we will be blessed to “stand in holy places, and shall not be moved.” If we abide in Christ, then He will abide in and walk with us.”
In both Joshua and Elder Bednar’s talk, you will notice a third part of this equation. The Lord blesses us when we act on what we have learned. When we do, our ways will be prosperous and we will stand in holy places. I am grateful for the Master Teacher, who not only desires to teach me, but who wishes to prepare me to live in His presence.
May 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering Handout
Of course I paired the printable with Swedish Fish! I love to look at my fish, especially if it is a candy fish.
Did you like this May 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering message? Find more Relief Society Ministering Printables for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These ministering printables are a great way to help families incorporate the “Come, Follow Me” lessons into their own study. They are also perfect for Young Women’s, Relief Society, Sunday School, or Family Home Evening. I hope that these ministering printables will be a simple way to reach out to those we minister to.
