The Golden Rule

I learned a lot of verses from the Bible as a child.  The church we attended when my family moved back to Waycross, Georgia after my father's death was a small country church with a larger cemetery.   My Daddy was laid to rest on those grounds and I started learning about Jesus.  Every Sunday night the kids had a moment to recite a Scripture verse with the reward being a gold star by your name on a chart.  My first memories of learning Scripture go back to those gold stars.  One verse carried forward from those years was, "Do unto others as you would have them to unto you."  (Luke 6:31)

 

It is a verse known as the Golden Rule.  While I was beginning to read a Bible back in those days, I imagine my mother was the one who put this verse in front of me.  In a sense it has been in front of me now for a lifetime.  Such is likely true for many others as well.  It is a simple enough word.  It is not one which requires a Biblical commentary or exhaustive teaching to understand.  Maybe what the song says about the world needing more love is true, but surely it is also true that the world would benefit greatly if we lived by the creed of the Golden Rule.

 

Imagine for a moment all the things which would be absent from our daily life if we treated others as we would like to be treated.  Our world would be empty of hurtful angry words.  There would be no gossip and slanderous words thrown out to undermine and destroy.   Care and concern for others would be part of our daily agenda and name calling would be taboo.  Imagine for a moment how different life would be if we contributed to none of the thing which destroy people in the eyes of others.  Imagine how different life around us would be if we were intentional about giving love, acceptance, and grace to whoever it is that we encounter along the way.