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Reflections

Golden Rule Days

“School days, school days, dear old golden rule days…”  Remember that song? It was first heard in 1907—one hundred years ago. We may sing the nostalgic melody today, though the words are hardly relevant.

Things have changed radically in one hundred years. We cannot refer to the “golden rule” because of separation of church and state. The curriculum has gone far beyond the 3 Rs – “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic.”.  “Hickory sticks” have disappeared, and computers have replaced “slates.”

What remains the same? School days are still here, and so are the kids who are usually more interested in the 4th R – relationships – than in the original 3 Rs. Instead of writing love notes on slates, they surreptitiously send text messages on hidden cell phones.

School children of a generation ago were much like their parents, who were also like their parents. Today, because of rapid cultural changes, parents may constantly be bewildered trying to understand the next generation.

Perhaps because we frequently pick up our grandchildren from school, I have been pondering these changes, and wonder, “What do we have to offer today’s school children who live in a much different world than we grew up in, and certainly a radically different one from the ‘golden rule’ days of song?”

While many aspects of culture do change, what we want to pass on are things that will never change. A psalmist expressed it well in Psalm 78:2–7:

I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Two things were commanded to be passed on from generation to generation: knowledge of God’s actions and His Word. Each generation had a responsibility to recount these to the next generation, so every generation would trust in God and keep His commands.

While those of us who have children and grandchildren have personal responsibility to convey this knowledge of God, every Christian shares the Church’s responsibility to convey the knowledge of God to the next generation. The Church is always one generation away from extinction unless this responsibility is taken seriously.

Recently Dr. George O. Wood, General Superintendent-elect of the Assemblies of God, spoke at an anniversary celebration in our church. He challenged us, while remembering the past, to be sure we were “passing along a full bucket.”  He alluded to the days fire brigades passed along buckets of water to extinguish fires. In the haste of passing, water could be spilled so not much remained to douse on the fire.

When we are passing on the knowledge of God to the next generation, we must be sure we include the full account of God’s works and His Word. School days for today’s children can still be “golden rule” days, if they receive the Word of God from us and experience His power for themselves.

Points to Ponder:

You received the knowledge of God from someone, possibly in a previous generation. In what ways are you passing that knowledge on? Can you effectively share your knowledge of God’s Word and His acts in spite of cultural change around you?  What praiseworthy deeds of the Lord do you particularly like to share?

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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