By Christy Kirtlan
Remembering – from Exodus 6 – Moses received the Law from the Lord and relayed the information to His people through the Book of Exodus. In chapter 6, we read again how important it is to remember.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 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. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
God wants us to remember Him and His commandments. So much so, that He says they are to be written on our hearts and impressed upon our children.
When my four daughters were toddlers, they did toddler things – they bit each other, they pinched, and they pulled each other’s hair when they were angry. I had to teach them not to do these things, and many times, I’d say, “Ok girls, what are the rules?” In a sing-songy voice, they’d reply “No biting, no pinching and no pulling hair!” They remembered the rules. When they were teenagers, they knew they had certain rules in our home. They knew, because I taught them my expectations and explained them as rules. They knew they had to be home at a certain time, no cell phone while they drove and no friends in our home without the parents present. They knew these things, because I set the expectations and reminded them. I made them remember.
The rules I imposed on my toddlers and teens were out of love for them, for their safety, and to help them grow into responsible adults. We also spent a lot of time teaching them about Jesus. We sang songs about Him when they were toddlers, and as teens, they were active in youth group, Bible studies, a Bible verse competition called “Bible Bowl” (remembering scripture) and they accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior when they were ten, ten, ten and eight. Scripture was written on their hearts. Our home had beautiful reminders throughout of God’s love “As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.” “Every Saint has a Past, Every Sinner has a Future.” They watched their Mom and Dad love Jesus by loving His people. We sang in the van on the road about Jesus taking the shackles off our feet so we could dance….
We remembered.
Now, they’re all adults. They have families of their own. Our home still has those loving reminders around about His love for us, and they still see their Mom and Dad loving Jesus by loving His people, and they see our faithfulness. Now, it’s time for them to remember. It’s time for them to impress all these things on their children. I’m so blessed and praise God that I get to sing along with my grandkids “Father Abraham, had many sons….”
And may their children remember.
Psalm 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
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