Tassels

In my living room on our cabinet door hangs a blue tassel.  It’s my graduation tassel from university.

I also have my high school tassel hanging around somewhere, but it’s a bit weather-worn, so I think it’s attached to one of my travel bags.

But anyway, whenever I see them, they’re a reminder of my school days, the good and the bad, but mostly good.

It was lots of hard work, but lots of fun too.

Well, in this passage, God told the Israelites to make tassels as reminders too.  But a different kind of reminder.  He said,

Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.

You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.

Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. (Numbers 15:38-40)

These  tassels would swirl around the edge of their garments, thus being a constant reminder with every step that they took, that they were a people set apart for God, and that they were to follow him and his commands.

We don’t need to do that, of course, but I think it is good to have little physical reminders of God and his word.

Taped on my computer is a little piece of paper that says, “God is your provider.”

Someone once gave me a gift of about $100, and with that gift attached that message.

I put it on my computer to remind me in these tight financial times that we’re facing as a family that God will provide my needs.

I suppose the best tassels, however, are those we attach to our hearts when we memorize scripture.

Physical reminders often lose their effectiveness over time.  We get so used to seeing them, that we never really see them anymore.

But when we tie God’s word to our hearts like tassels, God is able to take those tassels and use them to remind us of him, his word, and his goodness in our times of need.

I used to memorize scripture a lot as a child.  It’s something I should probably start doing again.

Time and again, God has used those tassels that I tied to help me.

Maybe it’s time to make some more tassels that God can use to help me in the future.