Cookies and Milk?

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Take a nap.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

If these tidbits of wisdom sound familiar, it’s probably because they were taught to you at a young age. Robert Fulghum put these and others into a book called, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” He says, “Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.”

Somewhere along the line, it seems like adults forget those lessons learned in Kindergarten. I’m amazed at the number of adults I’ve met over the years who cannot bring themselves to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” Maybe it’s not that we’ve forgotten, but that as we have grown up so our selfishness and pride have become overgrown. They take over the simple and straightforward principles we learned about how to get along with other people.

Paul told the church in Philippi, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” He longed to see the church unified and strong to stand against suffering for Christ, but he also wanted to see them overcome the conflict that comes from doing life together. One person said it this way, “You cannot avoid conflict; you can only avoid conflict resolution.”

This Sunday we’ll see God’s resources and requirements for unity. They are simple, but they aren’t EASY. Read Phil. 2:1-11 to prepare your heart.