The Golden Rule part 2
Treating others as you want to be treated is NOT about getting people to treat you the way you want to be treated. Love is giving. It is never about getting. If getting is your motivation... you need to reevaluate some things. If getting is your motivation... you either haven't fully grasped or don't fully believe the ultimate truth of the universe--that God is love and He loves you. That we have no lack because our God has no lack. We've been talking about the Golden Rule. Today let's look at the New Commandment. "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other" (John 13:34 NLT). And to me, the key there is "Just as I have loved you." Because you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. So in order to love... we must first BE loved. Which is literally what 1 John 4:19 (NLT) says, "We love each other because he loved us first." You can't give what you don't have. In order to love (which is giving), we must first be loved. In order to give, we must first have something to give. You fill yourself to overflowing with what God has already filled you with. You receive it and release it. And here's why that's so awesome: It puts the emphasis where it belongs--on Jesus. He said we love as He has loved us. So our love only has to agree with His love. If He wants us to love big and hard... He has to first love us big and hard! Our love for each other (which is how we love God, by the way), is simply a response to God's love for us. Receiving it and releasing it. Breathing it in and breathing it out. Letting what's already inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. And the thing about love is, it comes in many forms, and shapes, and sizes. Remember my cookie deal from yesterday? I'm telling you, giving ME a cookie is showing me love. But that doesn't apply to everybody. I'm sure there are people out there who don't like cookies. I find it a bit hard to believe, but I'm sure it must be true. So giving them something they don't want isn't showing them love. We need to know HOW to love people. And that only comes from getting to know them. That only comes from building those relationships and those connections with them. When we are loving people it's not about us. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you isn't about, "I wish someone would give me a cookie so I'm going to give them a cookie." It's, "I like it when people are nice to me, so I'm going to be nice to people." It's that basic, general sense of treating people how you want to be treated. And not with the expectation that it will get them to treat you that way. No, it is simply the standard for how you should be acting. Again--if your motive is to get... that's not love. Love is giving. If you don't know what to do, do what you know. Love people. Let God love the hell out of you, and love Him back by loving the hell out of people. Love without expectation. Love without condition. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be the person you needed when you were younger. Don't let hurt and bitterness get to you. Learn from it and make sure other people don't have to go through what you went through. God loves you. And He loves you more than anything or anyone has ever loved anything or anyone. That's where our ability to love each other comes from. Receiving His love and releasing His love. Letting what's inside come out by knowing and believing it's in there. Following the New Commandment and the Golden Rule by letting God love you and loving Him back by loving people. It really is just that simple!