“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31

 

In both our professional lives and personal lives, we should respect human rights and require the same from others. In plain English, treat people the way you want treated. I’m sure you’ve heard that at least sometime over the course of your life. Jesus Himself said that phrase during His all-famous “sermon on the mount.” Even if you aren’t Christian, it is still good advice that shows up in one form or another in every major religion in the world. If you are Jewish, you’ve heard it in the Talmud. If you are Muslim, it can be found in the Hadith. It is in the Mahabharata if you are Hindu. The list goes on and on. Okay, so religion aside, the golden rule is also spoken of by Isocrates, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln, Mickey Mouse, Big Bird… I promise you’ve heard of at least one person who has said it over the years. The golden rule is taught even to our youngest children from their earliest social developments.

 

Why is it so important? Why is this golden rule so “golden”? Because it is refers to basic human rights. You have the right to be treated fairly in all of your dealings. You have the right to be dignified rather than torn down. You have the right to be treated with respect, and that goes for everyone in this world. Never engage in verbal abuse, bullying, intimidation, or humiliation. You shouldn’t wrong other people or disrespect them and you have every right to ask the same from them.

 

No matter the race, color, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation, all people deserve to be treated with dignity, whether you agree with them or not. In fact, our disagreements that help us to grow in this life. Some disagreements can be productive and help us to either change our viewpoints or at least help us to understand where the other person is coming from. I am no better than you and vice versa. We are all unique, we are all special, and we are all valuable. Take the body, for example. There are eyes, ears, a nose, legs, and arms. They are all different, but all of them together make up the body. Each part has its own purpose and the same thing can be said for you and I. We all have different gifts that we can use to benefit our fellow person.

 

You have a right to dignity, respect, and in a word, love. You deserve love. You deserve to give it and to get it. It’s not because of anything that you’ve done. It’s all about who you are. Do you know who you are and what is inside of you? You have been made with the majesty and imprint of the Creator God in His own image. Isn’t that beautiful?! You are not an accident, you are meant to be here. Right here, right now, this world needs what you have. This world will never be the same once you acknowledge that you are unique and specially created. You are good and made for a loving purpose by an all loving God.

 

Yes, you are going to mess up now and then. Things won’t always work out for you and I. However, things will be OK as long as we learn from those mistakes and at least be willing to turn away from them. Rest assured, you are not alone in this fight. We all go down the wrong path from time to time, just please don’t be OK with evil deeds and offenses. You are better than that. We need to rise above those wrongs. We can’t do it alone, but the God who made you loves you enough to provide a way out of evil. His name is Jesus Christ. Born of a virgin and lived a sinless life, but He died on a cross to take the punishment that each of us deserve for our wrongdoings. He then rose from the grave to show that even death cannot hold back the life that is within each and every one of us. Jesus did that out of love. Love for you and love for me. Not because of anything we did, but because we are all God’s children.

 

Jesus shed His blood upon that cross, not just for a select few, but for all of mankind to wash away their sins. My view might differ from yours, but whether we accept Jesus or not, He still loves us and calls for us to love each other just the same. The law of God is written on the hearts of each of us no matter our background, just like an artist makes many paintings and yet all of them bear his impression. Because of our loving God clearing our paths of evil, there is nothing holding us back from making this world better through love, respect, and friendship.

 

The blood of Jesus made us a family, free to love each other and free to disagree. I pray that you accept Him, but I will still love you if you don’t. That is truly the golden rule. Love, no matter what.

 

God’s blessings to you.

DH