Elementary Wisdom

I had the opportunity to walk couple of young children, brother and sister, from our church to the parking lot which I use on Sunday mornings. It is about a one block walk and it requires crossing the street. I was providing them a ride home after worship because their mother was ill and they needed transportation to Grandma’s house.  We were walking along, the little boy, maybe a 1^st grader, on my left, and the his big sister, maybe a 5^th grader, on my right.  As we were heading down the alley I said it was important that we hold hands, especially as we prepared to cross the street, thinking that I was conveying some new gem of information that would assist them today and in life. You know, “look left, right and then left again.” Wisdom that comes with age.

So, the little boy says to me: “I know the rules, Pastor Bill. ‘Stop. Think. What could happen? Is this what you want?’ That’s what teacher says.” I asked him to repeat his lesson which he had obviously memorized from his public school teacher. We arrived at the curb and before entering the street, I decided to try out his lesson: we stopped; we thought about what we were going to do and whether that was smart; we asked each other if anything bad could happen if we crossed; and we concluded that this was a safe time to do what we wanted, get to the other side of the street.

Now, I know you are thinking, here is a perfect opening for a joke: “Why did the Pastor cross the street?”  And there is probably a good punch line to that question, which you are welcome to send me. But that is not my point today.  I was thinking about how maybe we adults should invite elementary school teachers to do a seminar for us each January to teach us the valuable lessons about life they are teaching the children.  And then we could try to apply it to our life situations. Say you are about to say something to your spouse or co-worker in the heat of anger when you “Stop. Think. What could happen? Is this what you want?”  Say you are trying to decide whether to eat another cream-filled donut or take a walk: “Stop. Think.  What could happen? Is this what you want?” 

We know the rules of life, but why should we obey them?  In the end it’s because we want what God wants for us: that we should get safely to the other side. A good lesson.