Treat Others Well

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

(Luke 6:31)

Meditation

This is a fairly well-known verse from the Bible and yet few of us actually do it. We are quick, especially me, to blow the horn at another driver who accidentally cuts us off. However, when we make the same mistake we are outraged when the other guy blows his horn at us. We get very indignant when a department store’s return policy doesn’t meet with our approval. We take our frustrations out on the clerk behind the counter as if they are personally stealing from us. Heaven forbid if our airline flight gets cancelled due to bad weather conditions and our travel plans get disrupted. We will do our level best to make sure the customer service agent at the ticket counter knows just how we feel, and it isn’t good!

Maybe the guy who cut us off in traffic is on his way to the hospital to spend the last moments with a dying loved one. The minimum wage store clerk we want to yell at does not make store policy but will get fired if they don’t follow it. The airline ticket agent has no more control over the weather than we do, so smile and thank God the airline is thinking of our safety. When things aren’t going our way and frustration starts taking over our thoughts, we can either behave like followers of the Prince of Peace, or we can throw a good old-fashioned temper tantrum just like the rest of the unbelieving world.

If we put ourselves in the position of the other person, trying to understand how they feel about an outburst from us, we might think twice. That’s really the key…just think twice. Are we really mad or frustrated enough to make someone’s day harder than it needs to be? Are we really showing Christian love to other people when we’re in the midst of throwing a fit? I admit that heavy traffic is sometimes my downfall. Dumb or inconsiderate drivers push me over the edge all the time. Fortunately, I’m getting a little better each day at trying to respond calmly. I seldom ever blow my horn anymore, but I still have work to do on my attitude. Everyone wants to be treated with respect and courtesy but we’re not so good at it ourselves all the time. So, the next time we’re troubled by the circumstances of life let’s ask God to give us some patience and understanding for what the other person is going through. Let’s be the beacon of his light and love to this unfriendly world.

Prayer Time

Father God you are the bright and shining example of love. You gave your Son, knowing how he would be treated, just to save us from our sins. Even though Jesus is our God and king, he treated the people who came to him in a loving manner. We thank you for his example for how we should be treating each other. Be with us, Lord, in our interactions with everyone we encounter. Remove from our thoughts any need for retaliation or retribution. Fill our hearts with so much love we will have no room for animosity for someone who doesn’t behave just as we think they should. Help us to always show a peaceful demeanor to people who are usually self-absorbed with their own troubles. Direct our thoughts to understanding what they may be going through and not on belittling them. Remind us how we feel when we treated with disrespect and contempt. We never want to feel that way and we don’t want to make others feel that way either. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!