Deuteronomy 6

In the film Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan (who would go on to direct the Dark Knight trilogy and Inception, among other films), the main character, Leonard, is unable to form new memories after he receives a head injury. He can't really write stuff down in a notebook because he'll forget where he put the notebook. His solution is to tattoo important information on his body so that he has constant reminders of what he has to do. (I'm deliberately being vague here as one of the many pleasures of the film is witnessing how the puzzle of a plot unfolds, everything clicking neatly and dramatically into place. In fact, I think Nolan has yet to make a better film.)

As you might suspect, I don't have short-term memory loss, but I have trouble remembering stuff, especially if it's spoken and not written. (I'll use that as an excuse for why I'm bad with names of people I've just met.) Writing notes down helps me immensely--and Moses knows that reminders, even if they're not in written form, will help the Israelites immeasurably in keeping God's decrees.

In verses 6-9, Moses enumerates some ways that the Israelites can remind themselves of God's commandments: writing them on doorframes, tying them to their heads, talking about them with others. Moses emphasizes how imperative it is to pass this information on to children, using delightfully domestic, everyday imagery in verse 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." Children, especially in their formative years, prove remarkably malleable, which is why they need to learn values of respect, generosity, selflessness, and industriousness. In my experience, if I see a kid behaving badly, chances are it's because of poor parenting.

The Moses nugget here is the oft-quoted verse 5: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Even Jesus, the ultimate luminary, quotes this verse when asked about the greatest commandment. At the risk of sounding anal, I'll take a crack at parsing this key verse.

Loving with one's heart means that one should absolutely adore God with unrestrained emotion. When I interact with God, I should do so with a passion that far transcends my love for anything or even anyone else.

Loving with one's soul means that one's self, one's spirit, one's very identity should be aligned with God. While I don't need to be completely abstemious, I must open my eyes to the concerns that touch God's heart and allow those issues to touch my own heart.

And loving with one's strength means that one should put every last effort into loving God. I need to stop using my efforts to chase ungodly or harmful pursuits and instead devote my exertions into chasing after God--who, after all, doesn't run away from us. In fact, He actively runs toward us.

Easier said than done, of course. But I know that I shouldn't need a tattoo to remind myself of God's inimitable grace.