The Golden Rule

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 7:12

The Golden Rule. Most of us are familiar with it from our childhood. "Be nice to Johnny. Treat him the way you want to be treated." Which translated means, "Don't hit Johnny, because you wouldn't like it if he hit you." And so we accept the teaching in the negative -- don't mistreat anyone. But Jesus taught it in the positive. Don't wait for someone else to be kind to you, be kind to them first. It was the basis for His story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Reach out to another person in love. Don't wait for them to first show love to you. Be patient with another person, even if they're not patient with you. Do good to others, even if they never do good to you. You may never change the behavior of another person by your kindness, but it's guaranteed your acts of kindness will change you -- for the better.