Wednesday, February 9

Imperative Sentences



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 on 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.





The verses above are found in the old testament, in Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verses 5-9. These are powerful words to me as I go about raising my children. (Read Deuteronomy 6).



Almost every line starts with a command. Going back to grade school grammar, they are called imperative sentences. "An imperative sentence or command tells someone to do something. [A sentence that] gives advice or instructions or that expresses a request or command" (thank you Wikapedia).






Impress them....






Talk about them....






Lie down and get up.....






Tie them....






Write them....



True verbs, the above words describe acts or activity. "Impress them, talk about them, tie them, write them".... what is "them?" What is the subject of these commends?



We are to be actively teaching our children to "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."






Within these simply phrased words are commends that hold the answers to all our parenting questions. And I have a lot of parenting questions! Moms, we get so overwhelmed with the moment to moment of solving crisis after crisis.


I have recently been greatly encouraged by a "Parenting Manifesto" I read on AHolyExperience.com. I wanted to publish it here, but it is copyrighted, so jump over there and absorb her words for yourself. (The parenting manifesto is listed under "freebies" on Ann Voskamp's site).



The list she's written is such a practical example of how to daily follow the declarative statements in Deuteronomy 6:5-9. I printed the list and have it hanging on the wall. A new item impresses me at different parts of my day.


I hope you are blessed today as you go about actively living God's commands for us and our children.





Photo credit to Kellie Parry Photography


2 comments:

Andee said...

"It's not an emergency." I tend to run my life like it is one, but it's so not.

Sherri said...

love that list and the music with it,just spent an hour deciding which CD to buy.