Nursery Rhymes for Adult Spiritual Enrichment

Polly Put the Kettle On

Polly put the kettle on

Polly put the kettle on

Polly put the kettle on

We'll all have tea

Sukey take it off again

Sukey take it off again

Sukey take it off again

They've all gone away

The kettle is being put on for visiting guests. That is made apparent because the kettle is taken off when "they've all gone home." The rhythm of repetition of putting it on and taking it off is a purpose that serves those visiting the home. In other words, the habitual routine of a warm fellowship by sharing family-friendly drinks happened only when visitors came. That communion was not a daily part of the family activity. In this article, we will consider the importance of diligence in warm social fellowship that transcends social dysfunction.

Dysfunction occurs when we attempt to put on the spiritual fruit for special occasions, but take off the spiritual fruit for everyday occasions. This double standard is a condition of a person's inner life iwhich is contrary to the reputation they want to be known by. On the inside they are full of unfruitful feelings and thoughts towards those around them, but they want to hide their internal intent with external appearances. In essence, they will put on a pleasant charade for social purposes, but when th at charade is taken off they disparage those they just coddled. A tree cannot give life to oranges and lemons both, either it's an orange tree or a lemon tree. The same way with people, either we live to bear good fruit in social interactions or there is unfruitful intent within the person during social mingling. For social appearances, some people attempt to mimic the attitude of goodwill, kindness, and love. However, once they are out of public sight they convey ill-intent, cruel purpose, and hatred towards the fellowship they just visited. They have conflict, harshness, and aggression swarming within as they purpose within themselves to come across as a person with peaceful intent by mimicking a meek and gentle attitude. Those who put on tranquility then take it off have no optimism for the people they present themselves to. While they put on a smile and share optimistic words, their spirit is missing the positive energy of joy, goodness, and faith. That's because the despair, evilness, and pessimism they inwardly feel about you is negating the real optimism that should be there. Those who put on charades to persuade others of their civil qualities are inwardly filled with impatience for the gathering to end. They fear the perpetuation of an harmonic fellowship will become "out of control" because it is opposite of the intent of an unfruitful culture. Patience, self-control, and perseverance are qualities of the spirit that blossom from within, and cannot be mimicked through external prompts. Through the spirit flows the genuine intent of our inner life, but through the flesh comes charades to hide the desolate inner life.

Dysfunction occurs when we attempt to open our life to a fruitful purpose for special occasions, but close our life to spiritual blossoms in day to day matters. This is a common concept in today's era, the years of the nursery rhyme, and stemming all the way back to the age of myths. In today's times we accuse politicians of having a public image that is different than their private policies for the country. This is also voiced in the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf who dressed like a caring grandmother. Then again, it's evident in the tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and again is apparent in the story of the Trojan Horse. All those stories have the same concept in common, put on a kettle of tea to perpetuate an image, then take it off again to carry on with unfruitful intent. The perpetrators of unfruitful acts by conveying a contrary image are full of impatience, out of control behaviors, and terminal results. Their victims are those who fall prey to external appearances but are blinded to the spiritual condition of inner life. In each fraud, there was not any evidence of a bonding relationship through the sharing of mental, emotional, and behavioral fruitfulness. In this light, we should always have patience until we see real blossoms of spiritual intent. Love is more than flowers, gifts, and food. We should always have self-control when external appearances seem to be everything we want. That control will prevent us from becoming unruly in the effort to have our picture-perfect dream now. Furthermore, we should always persevere from the spiritual fruit of our inner life and never trade in those constructive attitudes for external appearances.