The Golden Rule
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12
"What's the golden rule?”
Growing up, my dad would ask this question all the time, usually in response to us being mean to each other or speaking harshly to each other. And in a chorus, my siblings and I would say back, "Treat people the way you want to be treated." Sadly, a few eye rolls would often accompany our response, but looking back now, reiterating that truth like he did was one of the best things my dad did as a parent.
The Golden Rule is written out twice in Scripture, once in Matthew and again in Luke. I'm a firm believer that if the Lord decided to repeat Himself in Scripture, we should pay special attention to what He's repeating. And while my dad paraphrased the verses to say, "treat people the way you want to be treated," the principle remains. If we all lived by this statement, think about how different our world would be. If we would ask ourselves "What's the golden rule?" before every decision, every interaction, every response, and every conversation, everything would look drastically different.
While it seems like there are so many things dividing us as humans right now, I believe one of the things that rings true for every single person on this planet is that we all want to be treated lovingly. We all want to be respected. We all want to be cared for. We all want to be honored. We all want to be comforted when we're hurting. We all want to be given the benefit of the doubt. We all want to be forgiven when we make a mistake. We all want to be heard. And we all want to be valued. Those desires do not discriminate.
If change is going to take place on a greater scale, that change starts with each of us as individuals. We have to examine our hearts, our attitudes, our behaviors, and our thought patterns. We have to ask ourselves, "Do I treat people the way I want to be treated?" And if the answer is no, that's the first change that needs to be made.
No one wants to be mistreated.
No one wants to be stereotyped.
No one wants to be dismissed.
No one wants to be devalued.
No one wants to be disregarded.
No one wants to be silenced.
No one wants to be hated.
No one wants to feel unloved.
I can guarantee that anyone reading this agrees with these statements. So if you don't want to be treated those ways, you can't treat other people that way. For if you do, what kind of example are you setting as a follower of Jesus? Because isn't that what it all boils down to? Our lives are supposed to be a reflection of the decision we made to surrender our lives to the Lord. And with that decision, came the greatest commandments of all time, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind...and love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-38).
When we mistreat people, we're not loving them, and we're not loving the Lord. It's as simple as that. Just as 1 John 4 says, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister" (1 John 4:20-22).
Jesus said we will be known as His followers by our love (John 13:35). So if we're going to bring change, that change is going to come from the way we love others and the way we treat others.
So the next chance you get, let your words, your actions, and your reactions display the love of Christ. Show unconditional grace and mercy. Forgive someone who hurt you. Comfort someone in their sorrow. Listen to someone who wants to talk things out. Let someone go in front of you in line. Open the door for someone. Smile. Whatever it takes, just treat people the way you want to be treated.