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.
Share.
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 ambition and pride have become overgrown. They take over the simple and straightforward principles we learned about how to get along with other people.
It’s also true in the family of God. Sometimes we take what is simple and make it too complicated. It’s especially true if we are tired or hurting or both. Hebrews 12:12 through 17 gives us six simple “tests” to see how we’re doing in our relationship with God and with one another. I’m sure we’ll be challenged, but my prayer is also that we’ll be encouraged how God is at work in our lives.
By the way, you’ve heard the announcements about baptisms coming up at the end of the month. We’ve had so many responses that we have TWO dates now… April 21 or 28. Let me know if you are ready to take this step of obedience and growth with God!
In Christ,
Kurt Jones
P.S. There’s still time to join our “Listening for Heaven’s Sake” training on April 20. Visit here to get more details and to sign up.