All I Really Need to Know . . .
It’s back to school time, and whether there’s a student in your family or circle of friends and acquaintances, there is a sense of change, something of a shift in the activity and energy level around us. Remembering those “first days” brings back vivid memories of my own, from the excitement of finally getting to start first grade, to wondering how I’d ever find my way around the big, strange high school, to the absolutely heart-pounding day of going off to college.
A thoughtful little book was published over 25 years ago with the title, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” and the life rules for 5-year-olds certainly can apply to people of all ages and stages in life. From the simple (play fair, don’t hit, put things back, clean up your mess, don’t take what isn’t yours, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody); to the more complex: (Remember the little seed in the cup – the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why; but we are all like that) there’s enough food for considerable thought in these loosely connected words of advice.
My favorite (although it’s so hard to choose) is: “When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.” We can take any one of these items, put it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to our family life, our work, our government, even the world. But that’s how ideals and hopes and values work – they give us an understanding of how to live, how to treat one another, and how to make the world a better place for everyone.
To find “all we really need to know” in order to live as God’s people in the world, we can turn to the Gospel of Matthew, and read the account of Jesus being tested by the Pharisees. He was asked the question, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (22:36-40) Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples not to be concerned who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, but rather to be like children, humble and innocent.
No matter how mature and knowledgeable we are, whatever formal education or life experience we may have, and whatever standing or status we may have achieved, there is no finer name to claim than “Child of God.” Throughout our lives, God’s Word reminds us of who we are and whose we are, and from Baptism to life’s end, every one of us is precious in our Father’s sight. And that is all we really need to know.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers