The Tongue - Edition #17: Kid Talk

April 22nd, 2006

The Tongue – Edition #17: Kid Talk

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.”
Mother Teresa

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 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.

Proverbs 17:6
Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Matthew 18:1-6
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

shânan pronounced shaw-nan': A primitive root; to point (transitively or intransitively); intensively to pierce; figuratively to inculcate: - prick, sharp (-en), teach diligently, whet.

This is what the word “impress” comes from in Deuteronomy. Inculcate is a completely new word to me. It’s a verb which means: to impress (something) upon the mind of another by frequent instruction or repetition; instill; to teach (others) by frequent instruction or repetition; indoctrinate.

How frequent? Well, to be honest… that is a relative word. I could frequently go to the store once a week. As it is, I frequently go every two weeks. Is that how I should be having my quiet times? No, but I had one every week back in 2003. In 2006, I have yet to miss this year… the longest into the start of a year since I started keeping records of when I have them. It’s just strange to not have one now. Frequent is doing something at short intervals or habitually. Haley’s Comet frequently comes every… 88 years I think. For astrology, that is frequent. But for the bible, that’s simply all sorts too long in between the look see. And then to teach my son to put something on his heart… every other week simply won’t cut it. He won’t develop convictions if it isn’t inculcated on his heart. “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin…” If I don’t talk to my son, the consequences could be drastic. So the question remains: How and when? “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you (drive in your car), when you lie down and when you get up.” And when I talk about these things, I need to have an enthusiastic devotion and tireless diligence toward God and his precepts. I mean, if I’m not excited, why should he? Johnny Out.