Write Them on Your Forehead and Wear Them on Your Hands in the 21st Century

There were no secrets and no strangers in the small farming community where I grew up. If I ever did something wrong, my parents were more than likely going to hear about it before I got home. Such is life in a small town.

As a part-time waitress at the local cafe, I was accustomed to farmers gathering in the afternoon for a cup of coffee and a little conversation so I wasn’t surprised the day I arrived for work to find there was only one parking space left. Unfortunately, my parking skills left a great deal to be desired. I was in the process of backing up to repark when I heard a loud screech. I had hit my grandfather’s pickup with the front bumper of my car. Now there was a long, white streak down the length of his red fender. I was horrified, but not as horrified as I was when I went inside the restaurant full of men to tell my Grandpa what had happened. He was very hard of hearing so by the time I got him to understand me, I was speaking loud enough for everyone in the cafe to hear my confession. He took me outside to examine the damage and told me that scratch just gave that old truck character.

And, yes, my parents knew all about it before I got home from work.

Deuteronomy 6:8

Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders.

In biblical times people actually wore boxes on their hands and forehead containing scriptures, but this is not a custom in our culture today. How, then, can we apply it in our lives? Let’s consider for a minute that our hands represent our actions. Our forehead represents our thoughts and beliefs that in turn drive our speech. The way we talk, the way we conduct ourselves, the way we react will all be evidence of what is foremost in our minds and hearts.

Growing up I learned from experience the town gossip mill would report my bad decisions to my parents. Experience also taught me the true meaning of unconditional love in the way they reacted. I was not afraid of my mom and dad, but I certainly didn’t want to disappoint them. Does this mean I was perfect and never messed up? Absolutely not! Though I paid the consequences for my actions, I knew my parents loved me even when they didn’t approve of what I had done.

There is no mysterious formula that stipulates the precise way to apply this verse in modern parenting. The premise is grounded in our reverence and obedience to worship the One and only true God with all that we are and all that we have. I learned from watching my parents consistently live out their faith with grace and mercy.

With all this in mind, my husband and I made some decisions about how we felt we should apply these verse with our own kids. We wanted to be intentional about planting God’s Word and sacrificial love foremost in their minds and hearts.

I have created a flyer with some suggestions you might find helpful as you make these decisions for your own family. This is not an exhaustive list, but perhaps it will give you a starting point.

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I am much older now, and I don’t remember what my consequences were for hitting my grandpa’s truck. I do, however, remember I knew my parents loved me no matter what.