Heart Bound

"My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching. Bind them around your heart always; tie them around your neck" (Proverbs 6:20-21).

As an adult, I've looked back on my childhood many times and wished that I had listened better to my parents. I wish I had followed their direction and advice. Parental wisdom, I now know, is actually worth quite a bit. If only I had listened, I would have saved myself a lot of heartache.

Parents have something children don't have... wisdom! Parents have "been around the block" enough to have gained valuable insight into life's many twists and turns. Godly parents who know the commandments of God know that to obey those commandments brings protection and provision in life.

There is a tremendous need for children to learn and obey God's commands. The word pictures used to help us grasp this is a "heart" and a "neck." To bind parental commands (presumably derived from the Word of God) upon one's heart is to internalize those commands. It is to take them in to one's life by way of appropriation. To tie them around one's neck is to keep them close enough to always remember them. To be around one's neck is to be visible. In other words, we are told to hide God's commands in our hearts while we keep them visible around our necks.

Wisdom is needed in order to live life to its greatest potential. Wisdom directs and warns while guiding and providing. Parental wisdom, derived from God's Word, is to be bound to our hearts and tied to our necks. If only I had believed that when I was younger!