Ready for the long-awaited 3rd installment of Whoo’s Wise?! As I was choosing verses to use in Proverbs (there are about 1,000 I would love to do!), these three stuck out at me because they are all so similar:
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9
Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4
My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight, they will be life for you, and ornament to grace your neck. Proverbs 3:21-22
So, in the first three chapters (out of 31), Solomon addresses his son and compares wisdom to a necklace, a beautiful chain around the neck. I so love this picture!
There’s something about the phrase “chain around the neck” that could be so shocking–it sounds like slavery and confinement. And I think some people think God’s Word and His ways are confining. Instead, Solomon says that God’s wisdom is an adornment! A chain, yes, but a beautiful chain!
I also know how it is when I wear a necklace. It turns a normal, drab outfit into something kinda snazzy. And sometimes halfway through the day I’ll forget I have it on, then suddenly, it will jingle or hit agains my skin and I remember it! Isn’t that how we want God’s Word to be? (Not that I want to forget His wisdom!) But I want it to be a constant reminder–even in the simplest of ways.
I also see this necklace as an outward sign to others. Someone looks at me and sees this big statement necklace and can’t help but wonder about my awesome fashion sense (this has never happened to me, I’m just imagining). When I make wise choices and follows God’s wisdom, people will see it and be impressed by it. It will obvious to all that I walk in wisdom.
Isn’t that cool?
To remember this great word picture, we made our own paper bead necklaces! It’s super easy. All you need is some scrapbook paper (or regular paper works, too) cut into about an inch strip, glue and a skewer or some kind of skinny stick (I used a chopstick).
Begin with the paper strip on the stick and start wrapping.
You have to keep it tight and if it gets too hard, it might be easier to take it off the stick and hold it between to fingers so it doesn’t move so much.
Once you get to the end, just add a dab of glue and let it dry.
Then string it together!
You can make this a little fancier by cutting the paper in different shapes to make different shaped beads (here’s a quick guide to shapes) or coat with mod podge at the end to make them shiny and sturdy.
But the best best part? The part that makes this little craft special?
We added Scriptures to our beads! Before we wrapped up the beads, we wrote Proverbs 1:7 and a few other verses the kids picked out on their own. I love the secret of having God’s Word around their neck!
Lemme know if you make one these and which verse you hide inside. I’ve loved seeing what you and your kids are doing on the #whooswise hashtag.
Which verse would you like to keep around your neck?
Love, love, love it!!!! I am going to do this one with the kiddos and me! I love the imagery of having the clanking jewelry remind us of God. We need reminders all the time with Scriptures all around us. The Orthodox Jews do it right with the phylacteries and such that even their clothing is a reminder of God.
Here’s what the Bible says after giving the 10 Commandments, and I know that you know this passage very well!!!!!
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
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.
Hmmm…now which Scriptures do I want to put into the necklaces??? 🙂
P.S. And I hope your foot is feeling better.
What a genius idea!!
Finally getting around to this one. We made chain necklaces to keep my workload down :). The older two wrote one to two words per strip of Prov 3:3. As my 3yr old helped glue the strips to make the chain we repeated over and over “Do not let kindness and truth leave you.”