“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.  Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.”  (Matthew 7:12 MSG)

I have heard many people call this the “The Golden Rule” until I opened the New Living Translation Bible and saw this for myself TODAY!  duhhhhh!  Check it out!

The Golden Rule

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.  This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”  (Matthew 7:12 NLT)

 

Truly many things we hear here, there and everywhere, which we think may not be written in His word, we still have the inclination to doubt.  But when we see it for ourselves, we think twice, thrice until we finally say …. “OH I SEE!” 🙂

You may term is as “Karma”.  Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. It is equivalent to Newton’s law of  “every action must have a reaction”. When we think, speak or act, we initiate a force that will react accordingly. This returning force maybe modified, changed or suspended, but most people will not be able eradicate it.

You may call it as the law of cause and effect.  The universal law of cause and effect states that for every effect there is a definite cause, likewise for every cause there is a definite effect. Your thoughts, behaviors and actions create specific effects that manifest and create your life as you know it.

It could be the law of sowing and reaping that those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly and those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully.

The same is true with what goes around comes around.  The status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.  A person’s actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.

We may call it however we want but the most important thing is, “how do we do it?”  If something is done to us in a negative way, how do we respond in a positive way that will change the course of our simple lives, instead of responding the very same negative way?  We are to remember always that our sole responsibility is how to respond to the things done to us.  We cannot control how people treat us.  But how can we treat them the way we want to be treated and not treat them the way we were treated is the question?

I was in a mall just recently and was very much in a hurry.  I was catching a deadline of what I was required to do.  I went into the store, picked up all that I needed and then headed towards the cashier.  I noticed that the cashier was somehow in a panic mode because her computer wasn’t functioning well.  I tried to help but to no avail.  And so, as I was looking at my watch, I was a bit concerned because of time pressure.  She looked at me apologetically and said, “I’m so sorry, Ma’am, but I have to do this manually.  I need to write all that you’ve purchased down and then compute.”  I responded, “It’s okay.”

Time was running out but what can I do?  I needed all those things for my project.  I waited until she was done and gave me the total.  Then, I handed her my credit card and as soon a she saw it, her shoulders drooped from frustration, fear and discouragement.  She once again apologized that because her computer wasn’t working, the credit card machine wasn’t as well.

Before I could even react, a powerful vision flashed before my mind.  It was like a video played back when one of my clients settled her purchase at our store using her credit card and our machine wasn’t working at that particular time.  I had to apologize and nicely she just nodded and paid in cash.

Because of that, I said to myself, “what right do I have to react negatively when in fact I experienced the same way and was treated kindly?”  And so, I took out the cash from my wallet and handed it to the cashier with all smiles.  It made her smile and grateful.  More so, it made my day.

I believe one of the ways for us to turn the situation around from being negative into positive is when we have experienced and remembered the goodness of God done to us.  We are channels of His goodness and when we see them in our lives, we get armed, empowered and equipped to do them to the ones around us.  The Holy Spirit in us is the one Who quickens us to respond the right way.  The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.  When we get sensitive to His leading, He leads us to do the right way that will bring peace and joy not just into our hearts but also to those around us.

We cannot give what we do not have.  Just as we are empowered to love because HE first loved us, we have been anointed to do good because of His goodness done to us.  Because we were forgiven by the power of the Blood of Jesus, we are graced to forgive.  Because His mercies are new and fresh made available to us every single day, we are enabled to show mercy.  When we treat others the very way we’d like to be treated, the Holy Spirit in us will give us wide, amazing and unprecedented, unexpected opportunities to share His love with whoever He puts in front of us.

 

Prayer:  Father, thank You, for always ordaining our steps everyday in every way.  Your word is indeed the lamp upon our feet and the light unto our path.  Thank You, Jesus, for being the Word made flesh that when we encounter goodness in our lives, it all points to You, being the Word manifested and experienced.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for always on a look out to guide us and grace us to do the things you have called us to do.  Apart from You, we are nothing.  But with You, we become carriers and diffusers of Your love packaged in the goodness and kindness of Who You are channeled in and through us.  Amen!

 

Photo Credit:  Ms Nikki Menchaca