Reading Into the Rule
Posted on 15. Aug, 2011 by Katherine Martinez in kingdom of God, scripture, uncategorized
Have you ever noticed how much grace there is in the golden rule?
Here’s what I mean.
The rule says: Do to others as you would have them do to you.
The rule does not say: Do to others as they would have you do to them.
We are responsible to extend kindness on the simplest terms: To treat people in a manner consistent with our own preferences. We are not responsible for reading other people’s minds and making sure we interact on their terms.
Have you ever gotten into relational trouble because you treated people exactly how you prefer to be treated, but they expected you to understand them well enough to treat them as they prefer?
Likewise… Have you ever been hurt, because another person treated you just as they prefer to be treated and they simply did not understand what you need or want?
How might our relationships be different if we lowered our expectations and simply followed the Golden Rule?
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