posted by Jessica Lynette on Family

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Over the past several months I have been thinking about the words in Deuteronomy 6;

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

{from Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NIV}

It is a serious charge to parents, both encouraging and deeply convicting as to how we ought to be prioritizing our own lives in order to impress God’s commands on our own children.

And then this week I was reading through Hebrews and I got to chapter 8 I stopped and mulled over what I read for ages. Here’s what stood out to me;

“I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

{last half of Hebrews 8:10 NIV}

I can’t even fully explain how beautifully those two completely different pieces of scripture morphed together in my mind to complement each other and encourage me.

I know the verse in Hebrews is not speaking to parents, in fact it was being spoken of the Israelite people, but it was, to me, such a beautiful and clear picture that while yes we are to be diligent and impress them upon our children it is He that will do the work in them.

It’s not about me. It’s about Him.

And me living like I believe that.

Because me living is me impressing.

But He will do the writing – and the work – on their hearts.

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;  bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

{ our current memory work, found in Colossians 3:12-17 NIV}

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Tags: children, mom moment