Gearld Kapp When I was a Child We all know the verse of scripture from Proverbs 22:6 that says; “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Simple isn’t it… That was a statement, not a question. Yet, when we who have been parents or currently are parents that we remember that many of the things we thought needed to be taught were already inbred within the hearts of our children. Our responsibility then was create an environment where these seeds planted by God could be nurtured and allowed to thrive. Now, I know I just made it sound so simple didn’t I? We know it is not as simple as it sounds but let me take a few moments and go back over my childhood which I cannot believe was much different than most. I know my mom said I was “Special,” but my thinking was much like any other child, and looking back I think my mom’s idea of “special” and mine were quite different. Most of what I really needed to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. For a 5 year old, ‘Wisdom’ was not at the top of the grade-school mountain, but found there in the sandbox. On the playground, and hanging from the monkey bars. Most of us, we thought pretty much alike. Not all of us, but most of us… These are some of the things I learned. Save everything and put it in your pocket. (Mom loved that one). Worms, rubber bands, rocks, oh you know… The usual good stuff. Play fair or the other guy won’t. Don’t hit people, especially if they’re bigger than you, and sometimes that isn’t even a good idea because they always hit back or tell. Then you were in real trouble. Oh, and don’t hit your sisters (I had 3 to choose from).. 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. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, and draw and sing and dance and play and work every day some (not too much). Learn to laugh and have fun. Enjoy friends, and make new ones every day. Let your imagination take you places you’ve never been, and that’s not all… In kindergarten, I made a whale out of clay and I told the teacher it was the whale that swallowed Jonah. Didn’t know many stories, but I knew that one and I made that whale, painted it and the teacher fired the clay. You know what? That little piece of clay became an heirloom which was given to my grandmother and when she left this life my mom took it and it sat on her shelf. About 8 years ago it made the full circle and now it sits on a shelf in my living room. I never thought that whale would make it past anyone’s lifetime. Yet, something made by a child became something permanent. Oh, and we learned to take a nap in the afternoon. We hated it, but now we only wish we could. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder and little miracles always happening around you. I bet we all remember the little seed in the plastic cup. We got our hands dirty on purpose planting these little seeds, and we watched each day when we first came to school, and before we went home and finally, we saw that the roots went down and the plant came up, and nobody really knew why, and we didn’t care, it was our own miracle. We grew radishes and got to eat our own plants. But that wasn’t all; life wasn’t a mystery, but an adventure. We all were amazed. All of us. We learned something else also. That goldfish, hamsters, white mice, bugs, and even the little seed in the plastic cup, they all die, and so do we. But, that’s not all we learned; we learned that new life is formed every day. Our teacher had a baby and brought her to class for show and tell. We were young enough that we all wanted to see and touch. Some of us even got to hold the baby without dropping her once. Our teacher called her the little miracle. You see, back then no one got in trouble for talking about God, and we could even pray if we wanted. I didn’t because I didn’t know how, but I wanted to learn, and learn I did. I think it made a difference later in my life. I learned that there were other miracles in life. Like watching a caterpillar change into a butterfly or what a snowflake looked like when it fell. Life was full of miracles as we watched a tadpole turn into a frog just so we could scare the girls. Personally, I learned about gravity when I fell off the top of the metal slide and landed on my head. Woke up in the principal’s office which was only the first time of many visits I paid. Hey, I had a reserved seat. I learned a number of things like how to worry my mom when I left school at recess and walked home. That was the first time I cut class. And it was the last for a while because my parents believed in discipline. I found out real quick that the more I worried them, the harder the spanking. But, this is about kindergarten and what I learned or rather we all learned. I remember learning to write numbers and being proud to bring my work home for all to see. And then I remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word I learned and it was the biggest word of all: “LOOK.” Funny, everything I needed to know was in there somewhere. The golden rule and yes... Even love. Basic sanitation, you know, wash your hands. I learned about ecology and politics and being fair in life. Think of what a better world it would be if we all had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then laid down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our homes, in our nation and other nations around the world that we thought of others first. And that we knew and understood fair play, matter of fact, we expected it. If we respected the right to be different, whether it be race, color, creed or religion. If we learned to love rather than hate. If we always to put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. Which includes those of the heart? As I thought of this last night, I know the whole world didn’t live on my street, have my kindergarten teacher or even my beautiful parents. Hey, we all didn’t even go to the same school, but we cannot escape what God has placed in our hearts. You see all the things I spoke of actually occurred in the classroom of my kindergarten class. Yes, some things have changed such as prayer not being allowed, but many things remained the same. Do you really understand why? Think for a moment… Jeremiah 1:5 gives us the answer… "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Now, let’s personalize this for a moment. God knew Jeremiah and was in fact speaking to him, but can’t the same thing be said of you? Oh, I know you say, “I’m not a prophet.” No, but you are somebody, and as my kindergarten teacher said, you are a miracle. God knew you before you were formed in the womb. He gave us purpose before we were born. He saw all what we would become and knew He had made no mistake in you. But, beyond all of that, no matter where you go in this world or what civilization you encounter, most if not all the things I mentioned above were implanted in our hearts. The ability to understand fair play, and respect the rights of others and their property. To understand that some things hurt us and some things make us laugh. To know what love is without a dictionary, and to believe in miracles. There are so many things we were equipped with before we were born, and the list could go on forever. There are positives and negatives. We quickly learned the difference. We knew what hate was without anyone explaining it. And, we knew what made a good friend. But most of all, while we may not have understood the concept of God or knew any of His Greek or Hebrew names, we knew He existed. We learned and we grew. Some left behind the seeds planted by God while other allowed them to be watered and fed. Some gave very little care or concern and found out later the need to go in and remove all the weeds that had choked the plants which had grown from those seeds. But, whatever the case I honestly believe He knew us before we were born and He began then to teach us the meaning of His unconditional love. God is Good. Always Know that He loves you. Oh, and don’t run with scissors in your hand… And this fact is still true; no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. You have a friend in Jesus, and you have a friend in me. God Bless, God Loves You… Love in Christ, Always… Your Friend.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 01:28:23 +0000
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