Proverbs 27
“All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, written by Robert Fulghum and published in 1986, was a book of practical life guidance based on those lessons often learned in childhood.
- Share everything.
- Play fair.
- Don't hit people.
- Put things back where you found them.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Don't take things that aren't yours.
- Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
- Wash your hands before you eat.
- Flush.
- Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
- Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw some and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day
Advice. Life lessons. Wisdom. Where do we learn the things that make us understand right from wrong? Good from bad? Those things that steer the way we behave. The way we treat others. The need to do well. The need to be diligent. The compassion and empathy we display.
Who created and fostered these ideals in us? Parents? Grandparents? An aunt or uncle? Teachers or coaches? Pastors and spiritual leaders? Friends?
When do those lessons begin and how? God places these people in our lives to help us learn the lessons. Life then challenges these beliefs and frameworks in order to cement them in our persona, our soul.
But where did they get their beliefs? Who made them them? How far down the branches of the coaching tree or belief tree do you have to go before you hit the roots? All the way to Genesis I suppose. The Bible is woven with all kinds of life lessons. Some in lists like those outlined in our Proverbs verse today. Others in parables or lessons that Jesus taught his followers. Some in hard lessons of sin, death and repentance like David experienced. Some in life’s happenstance like Job encountered.
All of our existence, from the moment we are born, sets us up to be the people we are today. The people in our lives, the experiences we encounter, the lessons we have learned, the friendships we have developed and the life that we live. Are we the best image of who God wants us to be? Who we want to be?
Return to the lessons the bible teaches. For all we know, we didn't just start in kindergarten. It most certainly started “in the beginning”.
Questions for Reflection:
- Who are the people that have shaped the person that you are? Have you thanked them for the role in your life
- What is one piece of advice that you fall back on and also have instilled in someone else?
Prayer:
Good and Gracious God, thank you for the people you have placed in our lives who help us be better in every way, big and small. Thank you for the lessons that help us grow in our love and faith in you. Thank you for the ability to see past our own limitations, our own mistakes to become better people. The kind of people who live lives as your servants in the world. Amen
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