6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Personally speaking, one of my worst traits is being a “hot head”. A “hot head” blows up, loses control, flips out, over reacts, screams, yells, and generally stinks to be around not only in a work setting, but even more so in a home. I’ve gained some great insights from others and constantly work to “keep the lid on” yet this characteristic stills rears it’s ugly head on occasion in my life.
A good friend opened up some ideas for me years back that included the following question: How often do you raise your voice?
Raise my voice? How about as often as possible until you get my drift?
Dang, there it is again… hot head…
For real, how often did I raise my voice? Then in answering that question, the next question stands even greater: Does raising your voice make a difference for the point you are trying to accomplish?
Hardly ever… even more… never…. for if you can’t win the topic of discussion under normal speech tones, you sure aren’t going to win it by yelling and screaming…
I’m not sure why it has taken me so many years to understand this simple point of communication, yet I have a spouse and children that can attest to my SLOW learning skills. Even so, amidst their loving words and constant grace, I find myself “forgetting” to keep the lid on and stay cool. I have to remind myself often, even CONSTANTLY, that a normal tone and cool spirit can win the day over the hot head.
My verse this morning reminded me of this point. As my weekend had some interaction with someone that shared some similar “hot head” tendencies, it was easy to see myself from years before. Isn’t that kind of silly? When we know our struggles and have gained some victory then all of the sudden when we notice these things in others we are so confident to correct, so quick to point it out….. cause it was us…. ?!?!
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Meditate on those words this afternoon, that they rest on our hearts, that we teach them to our children, that we talk of them when we sit, and walk, and sleep, and wake…
Lord, I want this lesson for myself and for my home… I want to practice Your life and Your WORD and Your WAYS so much each day that they envelope me. Surround me, Sustain me and overtake me. Lord, cool the hot head on every front, quiet the loud voice and break down us proud. Humble the men and humble me to the place of wanting you more. BIND Your Word as frontlets between my eyes!
Barnabas Man 