What does it mean to impress someone or something?
Random House Dictionary defines "impress" as: "to affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings; influence in opinion; to fix deeply or firmly on the mind or memory, as ideas or facts; to urge, as something to be remembered or done; to impose a particular characteristic or quality upon something; to produce a mark by pressure; stamp; imprint; to apply with pressure, so as to leave a mark; to draw attention to oneself, particularly to create favorable attention; to impart a distinctive character."1
When I used to seal envelopes with wax, I applied pressure to my lettered gold seal on the melted wax, to imprint my initials on the reverse side of my envelope. Exerted pressure sealed the envelope closed, as the perfect pressure affixed a lovely imprint of the letter's sender, me!
When our daughter was growing up, I tried to teach her solid morals and character traits because when she left home, I wanted those strong positive values embedded into her mind, so she would be prepared to make good decisions. If I am completely honest, I also think I wanted her behavior to persuade others that I was truly a good parent because I had taught her life lessons so well. I wanted her to be favorably received and noticed, and I probably also wanted her to positively reflect me in her solid upbringing.
I hoped to impress or imprint myself into my daughter's heart, so when I am gone, she will remember me with great affection, love, and appreciation, just as my own mother resides in my heart always.
More importantly, Deuteronomy 6 abounds with Biblical teachings of why we must impress God's Word, His commands, and decrees into the very center of our hearts, minds, and souls, and in the core beings of our children and our children's children. To be able to love Him and share who He is, we must know Him.
Deuteronomy 6:1-2; 4-9; 13-18; 20-25:
6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 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. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors,
20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”
We are to teach God's commands diligently. We are to be sharpened or incisively taught with and by these words, as if we were sharply pierced by them. This command is not made lightly.
We are to talk of them when we sit, when we walk, when we lie down, and when we rise. They are to be foremost in our focus. To impress God's teachings upon our children, we are to repeat them again and again. As we teach them, we, too, are having them implanted into our hearts.
God has directed us to teach and observe His Godly and loving commands. He wants us to impress them on ourselves and our children, even if that precept requires a bit of pressure. Being established firmly in His Word reflects His love through us, urges others with whom we have contact to desire similar lives, and clearly illuminates our love for our precious, almighty, righteous God.
He and His ways become so engrained into our beings that our hearts overflow with His love. God's perfect and living Word has been revealed, and we are to teach it to masses of people who wish to understand it, and we are especially directed to teach our children and our children's children.
Dear Heavenly Righteous LORD,
Thank you for this blessing today of reading your special and specific commands in Deuteronomy. Help my every waking moment be tuned into and tuned toward you. Help me be the follower and teacher you intend me to be. Help me reflect your righteousness and love. Thank you especially for the blessing of a daughter. I pray that some of your teachings have been firmly and fully implanted and impressed upon her heart, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, as well as my own. Amen.
