The Golden Rule

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you... Matt 7:12

I have an app on my phone called Inspirations that I really enjoy because it sends me a daily Bible verse, reflection and devotion. It has the added bonus of a pretty picture as the background. The verse above is certainly a very timely one for our world today.

I dropped out of social media about ten months ago and haven't looked back. We were ramping up to the election and my feed was peppered with all sorts of mean stuff. Plus I was just tired of the same old narcissism that I was contributing to, either by posting my own LOOK AT ME things, or feeding into the other needy posts out there. I watched The Social Dilemma documentary with my husband after he and our younger daughter saw it. Sure enough, it made me feel even more justified in my choice of fleeing such a time consuming and manipulative force in our world. Lord knows it slashed my screen time and allowed me to focus on more productive activities.

Fast forward from fall 2020 to today, when our local and national news are reporting on the uptick in crime. But what has really gotten my attention is an obvious rise in road rage. I'm sure I've become much more aware of it because I've witnessed it firsthand several times in the past year. It has even been directed at me a time or two, and once was a bit scary. 

With these sorts of headlines about road rage incidents, it got me thinking about why drivers are so angry. Why do they fly off the handle at little slights? Why do some folks automatically assume the worst in others? Why are people so unhappy with their lives? If I had those answers, I'd be featured on Dr. Phil and reaping the financial rewards of writing a bestseller. Oprah might even invite me for a chat. 

I know I've been guilty of jumping to conclusions in the past. Thankfully, with age comes wisdom. I sincerely believe God is still working on me. An old Baptist hymn I recall from my childhood has a line about how He is the potter and we are the clay to be molded. For every question, God has the answer. His words in the Bible, like the verse I included above, are but a sentence fragment in the 66 books that direct us about how to live our lives here on earth in these fragile human bodies while we prepare for God's eternal kingdom of heaven. Unlike God's son Jesus, we aren't perfect. And yet we can aspire to righteousness with His help. 

Maybe we need to backtrack about 25ish years to the 1990s when WWJD was trending. What Would Jesus Do is a really catchy slogan for bracelets or t-shirts, and yet those are great words to live by. What if we all started treating others like Jesus would? What if we gave others the benefit of the doubt as Jesus did? What if we extended grace and second chances like Jesus? If some of these hotheads and knuckleheads would ask themselves if Jesus would scream and holler obscenities, make rude gestures or fire shots into a car because somebody got their parking space or had a different skin color, we'd live in a much saner and safer world. Join me in praying for everyone to turn to the golden rule not just for today but in hope of the future, that we leave a more kind and peaceful world for our children and grandchildren.