Watch, Remember,Teach

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9 Moses speaking to the children of Israel reminded them to be obedient to God and to keep his statues. He encouraged them to remember the GREAT works that God had done for them and how he rescued them from their enemies. He encouraged them to remember that there were those who were with them that did not make it because they chose to follow other Gods. Three things that I want to talk about in his speech are how he said they should WATCH, REMEMBER and TEACH. I am often chastised because people say that I am too quiet. I admit that I am an introvert but I believe that it is important to be aware of your surroundings and the people in them. As I look out into my community I see many things; crime, neglect, depression, hopelessness. I also see trust, sincerity and love in the faces of the children that I work with every day. One thing that is scarce is strong warriors that are watching over the village. Where are the watchmen? Who is guarding over the city? Some people may say that the police do a good job of keeping us safe but normally they come after the law has been broken and many people are not cooperative with them. There was once a time in our communities where men protected the village, everyone knew each other, strangers were scrutinized and enemies were locked out and flushed out. It seems that these days no one is watching the borders and anyone can go in and out of the city without being noticed.

We need to be more observant of the people that are in our village/city. The watchmen know who are in their city and they alert the people when an enemy is in their midst. Fear has stopped the watchmen from doing his job as well as partnering with the enemy to sell the people out. If enough havoc is brought unto a person that is not willing to die to protect their own he will cave and cower. If you dangle enough carrots in front in front of the donkey he will eventually walk to your beat. Remove the watchmen and you are open to all sorts of danger. Moses also encouraged the Israelites to remember. Remember how far you have come from, your triumphs, and how you were rescued from your enemies. I am saddened when I ask children about their history and they have no idea of where they came from. The trials of their ancestors seem to be something that was simply put into a history book for them to study. They have no idea that the blood of their ancestors have allowed them to have many of the privileges that they take for granted. There as others that simply don't want to remember the pain that they have experienced so they submerge it and others want to be seen as perfect and spotless so they don't share any of their shortcomings or or faults that they have triumphed over. If we fail to remember we will repeat the mistakes of those before us. Finally we need to be teachers. We teach every day of our lives! You don't have to be certified to lead someone in the path that is safe for them. You don't have to have a doctorate to educate someone.All of us are teachers whether we embrace it or not! If we fail to prepare our children they will fall and they will fall HARD! We need a new breed of watchmen. Who will accept the challenge?

Live Love&Learn

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