Matthew 7:12
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In her book The Glass Castle, author Jeanette Walls provides us with a vivid picture of her childhood. Walls’ mother and father were somewhat the “poster children” for dysfunctional parenting. If you read this book, you will wonder how Walls and her siblings ever wanted to have anything to do with their parents. And yet, they cared for their father as he lay dying when the rigors of alcoholism ravaged his body – and ultimately took his life. Walls opens her book with a description of pulling up alongside her mother, who was dumpster diving on the streets of New York City, and inviting her into the car for a conversation.
Many people would have looked the other way and pretended that this was not their mother…or they would have rushed her into the car and ridiculed her for embarrassing them in such a manner. But Walls did neither. She does not speak of a faith in Christ in her books, but surely she has developed an understanding of the basic tenet of what we know as “The Golden Rule” somewhere…somehow. She is able to put aside her own humiliation…what would be understandable resentment for the way she, her brother and sister were reared – neglected and mistreated, if not downright abused. Jeanette Walls is able to consider the person before her and ask a simple question, “How would I want to be treated?” And this is how she responds.
Surely you have had at least one instance in your life where someone has essentially – if not literally – slapped you in the face. You’ve been the brunt of an embarrassing or derogatory gesture…you’ve been called an ugly name, experienced a betrayal, or someone has treated you so unkindly that you felt like the breath was sucked from your lungs. Maybe you have been lonely, sick or injured…and no one bothered to even call to check on you – much less visit and offer to help. Maybe you have had to figure out how to manage what seemed like an impossible task all by yourself, while those around you acted like you were virtually invisible. Either they were too busy, too disinterested, or truly didn’t care enough to help you…but the result was pretty much the same. You were left feeling insignificant and unloved.
I could list other situations…but you get the picture. We’ve all “been there, done that” at one time or another. So we should all understand how terrible this feels. We should all be ready to take a look at “the other guy” and ask, “How would I feel in his/her shoes?” But time after time – for whatever reason – we seem to be too busy to exercise this “rule-of-thumb behavior” that sums up all of the laws and teachings of Jesus.
We can do better. We MUST do better! We should take a page from Jeanette Wall’s book (no pun intended!) and put aside our own feelings to consider the other person…to meet his/her needs as we feel led by the LORD… and to let HIM handle the rest. We must get to a point in our own Christian discipleship where we focus on treating others as we would like to be treated (and as God directs us)…and we allow God handle how others treat us! I get it…this is far easier said than done. But again, nothing about being a disciple of Christ is necessarily easy!
So how do we proceed? Leo Babauta, author of the blog “Zen Habits”, posted “18 Practical Tips for Living the Golden Rule”.* It’s worth a look, and I encourage you to click on the link and read through them. There is so much more that each of us can do to share love and compassion with others…and to honor the teachings of Jesus and His amazing gift of grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion in our own lives. This may not come easily at first, but practice truly does “make perfect”…and in time, we can become far more adept at exercising this tenet in our daily living.
Babauta encourages us to do this so that we will be happier and “a better person”…so that our community will be a better place. I believe we must do this “because Jesus said so!” He has demonstrated this principle for each and every one of us. If we want to truly be His disciples, we will “pay it forward” to others...and trust Him to give us the wisdom, strength and courage to accomplish these things for His glory. I know I’m in… what about you?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*http://zenhabits.net/18-practical-tips-for-living-the-golden-rule/
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