Devotion #13- Heart Tattoo

 

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you  today shall be on your heart." Deuteronomy 6:5-6 

Sometimes it is so easy to get overwhelmed with my job as a mom. The day to day needs are urgent and time consuming. I could simply miss out on the big picture, the real reason that I am doing this. I could effortlessly lose my joy and not to mention my sanity during these early years of mothering. During those difficult moments I focus on the fact that my children are on loan from God and that ultimately my most important job as a mom is to teach them about Him.

This past fall, I completed an in-depth Bible study with a Community Bible Study group on Deuteronomy.  I know, I know- it sounds incredibly dull but hang with me here. I felt the same way prior to the study and was actually disappointed when I initially found out that this was the book we were studying for the next sixteen weeks! Throughout the course of my study though I discovered that no other book is quoted more by Jesus which lead me to conclude that it is really important for me to know it as well as to pass on this truth to my children. Also during a recent refresher on Deuteronomy through  a lecture study by Beth Moore which I highly recommend,  I found out that the book of Deuteronomy is essentially a commentary given by God on the entire Bible. The Hebrew name for Deuteronomy actually means "to explain" or "make something plain."  I am all for simplification in this stage of my life and to think that God provided one for me in His word is amazing!

Now I am not a tattoo girl, my typically sweet Dad is very dogmatic on this point,  but if  I were these pivotal words from Deuteronomy 6:5 would make their way onto my body as a representation of where they should be internally- on my heart and soul forever. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." The chapter continues with, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." Then the chapter goes on to talk about teaching our children, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Essentially we are to teach our children about Jesus all the time. There is nothing more important.

After providing the simplification in writing in His word, God then goes one step further in providing a model for us to see the simplification in the flesh- Jesus! When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22:36 what was the greatest commandment he replied from Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments."

So all this to say that if I fail miserably in all other aspects of my life but hold fast to these, my life has been a success. If when I leave this world my children know these principles, I will have been a successful parent. Being the coolest mom doesn't matter. Being the most athletic mom doesn't matter. Being the mom who is the most creative doesn't matter. Being the mom who cooks the best meals or makes the fanciest Birthday cakes doesn't matter. When I meet my maker face to face and receive my, "Well done good and faithful servant" it will only depend on these two things: Do I love God with everything I am and have and do I love others? It can't get much simpler or more direct than that for someone easily confused  who can quickly lose their focus like me.

So what does "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" actually look like for real moms? Stay tuned for the next devotion!