Commandments for life

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 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.

In these verses Moses prescribes the people to keep the commands of the Lord near and dear to their hearts. They are to be learned, memorized, and dwelled upon. They should be the root basis of living and impressive enough our children see our actions and learn from them. They are to be talked about, discussed with family, friends and spouse. They are rules for living that should be a part of each and every day.

 

 

Bill White of Paramount, California once shared: “It was one of those evenings when everything goes wrong. The kids were cranky while I was making dinner, so I gave them some hot chocolate to tide them over. Timothy, who is five, decided to throw his marshmallows at his little sister, knocking her hot chocolate all over her. As she began screaming, the phone rang (and I foolishly answered it) and the doorbell rang (and I foolishly answered it—with the phone on my ear and a screaming kid in the background). I then returned to the kitchen and hollered at Timothy, and promptly had two crying kids.

As dinner began to burn and I deposited my daughter in the bath, I loudly announced that I was so angry I might do anything, so I declared I was putting myself in timeout. I closed the door, none too gently, and tried to get dinner to be the only thing simmering in the kitchen.

Everything changed about ten minutes later when I caught sight of a yellow piece of construction paper sliding under the door. In the unsteady hand of a kindergartener was scrawled a message of grace that pierced my heart and turned me around:

"From Timothy. To Dad. I still love you even when you're angry."”

Children observe and reflect the actions of their parents. Fortunately we have a Father in heaven that loves us, allows us grace and mercy, and shows us forgiveness. If we could only stop and reflect upon the Father and imitate him instead of allowing outside influences to control our lives. When we find ourselves out of control it’s time to step back and let The Lord take control. It’s much easier to do this when we know God intimately, understand His commandments for our life, and have a genuine relationship with Him. Let God’s commandments be on your heart so you know how to respond when times are stressful.