The Chocolate Milk Principle

It was the busiest time of the day - lunchtime in an elementary school, when I walked up on a little sitting alone, sulking, and with no lunch; I immediately sat down beside him. He was obviously in mourning for some reason. I quickly learned that a classmate had falsely accused him, and no one had come to his defense. When you are under double digits in age, and no one acknowledges your grief, this is a real problem that might invite future retaliation. I coaxed my sad little one to step aside with me and share his heart from start to finish. When he was through, I knew we needed to call in his accuser and get this straightened out. I dreaded this because no one saw it happen. Many times, over the years, I had to play the "He Said, She Said" game and decide fairly who was at fault. I fully expected to referee an argument or dissect the accusation piece by piece to determine who was guilty and who needed to learn a valuable lesson from this incident.

Surely, I would see a scowl on the face of the offended, arms crossed, swinging his short, little legs in the oversized chair he sat in, just waiting for the day of reckoning to fall on his adversary. That's not at all what I saw. Instead, he was holding out a carton of chocolate milk, actually, it was his carton of milk for his - "at the moment, enemy." I was puzzled. Was this a prank? Was it an "I'll get you back moment?" My wronged little one surprised me with his words that followed, " I thought you might like some chocolate milk, so I saved mine for you." That's all there was to it. The battle was over. Love had indeed covered a multitude of sins. For me, it was the first time I had witnessed chocolate milk as a peace offering.

I thought about this incident for a long time. If we could lay aside nursing the perceived wrongs committed against us. If we could think of others before ourselves; so much, we would be more concerned about their good that we would willingly let go of offenses. If we could see the value of giving mercy and, in return, gaining peace.

If only we truly understood the power of the Chocolate Milk Principle.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13

photo credit: clipground.com

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