This week in our homeschool curriculum, our memory verse reads,
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37b-38
It's a powerful verse and as we work to memorize it daily, I know (as with all the verses we study) the words are sinking into my children's hearts and they keep it with them and ponder it.
So much, that tonight, as I was tucking my boys in, I was praying for them, and as I kissed them and pulled the covers up just so under their arms and chest... I finished my prayer and told them that I loved them with 'all my heart'. Very matter of fact, my sweet Elijah said, "But mamma, you can't love us with all your heart, because you are supposed to love God with all your heart!" Wow. These kids have a way. :)
I said," yes, that's true. If we love him with all our heart, how do we have room for others". He said, "we must just have to love God with all our heart, and others just a little".
I won't write how I stumbled over my words and tried to answer him- how we can love the Lord with all our heart and still love others. I just told him that the bible is awesome and mysterious and complex and we need to spend lots of time studying it and pondering it and to thank Jesus that He gave us his Holy Spirit to help guide us and give us wisdom in all things.
As I sit late tonight, opening the Word, I was directed back to Matthew 22 and our bible verse...
There was a cross reference that led me to Deuteronomy 6:5-9
It reads: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon 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."
Today, I have been challenged with the question, "Do I love the Lord my God with all my heart and mind and soul?" Is it the first and greatest commandment to me? Do I love my husband more, my kids more, my coffee more, my house and garden more? My family more? My knitting, my projects, my phone, my facebook, my pinterest? Just asking myself some tough questions? Do I have these commandments bound on my hands and my heart?
So, I am challenged by His word once again. I am challenged to have an answer for my children, when they daily ask difficult questions. I want to be an example to them of what true Christianity is...not just talk about it.
What do they see me do? How do they see me act? Do I show them the first and greatest commandment? I am going to try... With the help of Holy Spirit...
Be challenged today as well. Ask yourself tough questions. Holy Spirit will be there to shine light and give wisdom.
In Him~
