Building On The RockSample

The Golden Rule

The Brothers Grimm have a story commonly called “The Old Man and His Grandson.” It goes like this: There once was a family whose grandfather lived with them. Grandpa was growing older, and he began to slobber and even spill his food on the floor. The family was embarrassed and decided to have him eat alone. When he dropped his bowl and broke it, they scolded him and got him a cheap wooden bowl. The grandfather was very unhappy. One day the young grandson was working on the floor with some wood. "What are you doing?" asked his Dad. "I'm making a wooden bowl," he said, "for when you, too, get old and must eat alone." The man and his wife after a while began to cry. Then they invited the old grandfather back to their table, and from that time always allowed him to eat with them and said nothing if he spilled anything.

With their new insight, the parents could see their actions from the grandfather’s point of view. Then they were able to treat him in the way they wanted to be treated. That’s our challenge too. We need to see our actions from the other person’s point of view. And we need to care about how our actions make the other person feel. Our Lord put it like this: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). 

If I am leaving for church and see that my neighbor has a car problem. Will I stop and offer help? Another neighbor is away for three weeks and hasn’t asked anyone to mow his grass. Will I go across the street and mow it before he comes back? How would I feel if the roles were reversed? 

This can apply on the negative side as well. Do I give some thought as to how my sharp words may affect someone? Do I speak to people the way I would like to be spoken to? I may criticize an idea by saying, “I think that’s a dumb idea.” But what does the person hear? She hears, “You are a dumb person for suggesting that.” Or if I act aggressively toward someone, I may need to go back and ask forgiveness when I realize how much it could have hurt.

Are you up to the challenge of fulfilling the essence of this teaching by treating others in the way you want to be treated? It’s the will of God. It’s worth the effort.

Prayer: Father, help me see my actions and my words through the eyes of others. Please give me a heart of empathy. Let the fruit of the Spirit be evident in all my interactions with others.