Back on June 2

The Monday Message is on vacation until June 2nd.

The Great Law/Do Unto Others

May 4, 2014

We are going to have an unveiling today as promised. That’ll come a little later.

Another thing that will come a little later is I’ll tell you about some inexcusable bad behavior that I exhibited about 11 days ago. It was so personally emotionally debilitating, as it is when we spew poison, that it took me eight days to get to the point emotionally, internally, that I could offer an apology.

In order for us to connect a few dots, we have to journey through a portion of the Gospel According of Mathew. Let’s look first at Chapter 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

I have to agree with Emmet Fox who so eloquently says, “In these five verses we are told more about the nature of man and the meaning of life, and the importance of conduct, and the art of living, and the secret of happiness and success, and the way out of trouble, and the approach to God, and the emancipation of the soul, and the salvation of the world than all the philosophers and the theologians and the savants put together have told us - for it explains (what Fox calls) the Great Law.”

Really, we’ve been talking about this same idea in each of our “Prosperity Sunday’s.” What you put into this every-where present, invisible, creative substance that is lying in potential awaiting your input, is what is reflected back to you in your life: You reap what you sew; you experience what you express. This is Cause and Effect. Cause and effect is the Great Law of Life.

Harkening back, again, to our “Prosperity Sunday’s,” remember that there is a subtitle to the book we’ve been reviewing, and it is “The Principles and Process of True Prosperity.” Here we have the Principle (Cause and Effect). What is the process linked to these ideas? Well, we find it just a little further into the chapter; Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

We know this as the Golden Rule and if people in general realized the Golden Rule as being literally true, it would impact the world in such a profound manner that it would decrease crime, reduce war, and increase personal responsibility. If people in general realized this as being literally true, they would realize that while they may able run and hide to escape the law of the land, they cannot escape the law of life. They would realize that they are the cause of something in their life and they are going to experience its effect.

Last week I said that spiritual principle holds the answer to our troubles.

How I reacted to a person in my life 11 days ago is not how I want to be treated.

Jane’s car got the sniffles about two weeks ago and in just a couple of days the car no longer had the sniffles, it was in critical condition in the ICU!

The amount of money it would take to repair the car was right about the amount we’d get on a trade-in. We had to make a decision, fix the car and hope nothing else goes wrong, or buy a new car. We chose the latter.

Once we knew the make and model we wanted I called a few of the local dealers, told them I would be purchasing a car in the next two or three days and asked them if they would be willing to submit a proposal for our business. I also told them I was inviting several other dealers to do the same. Now they were competing for our business which is the way I think it should be.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “I was so mad I couldn’t see straight?” Well, that was me.

At the same time I was negotiating for a car I went totally off the deep end about something else that was occurring in our life. I felt Jane had been poorly done by and I set out to set someone else straight. I was going to help the take the speck out of their eye before removing the plank of anger in mine.

It didn’t go well.

I came home from that confrontation ANGRY!

I checked my email and had offers from Dealers “A and B.” I decided to purchase from dealer “A.” I called dealer “B” and said I would take dealer “A’s” proposal unless he wanted to sweeten his deal.

“No thank you”, he said.

I called dealer “A” back and said let’s do it, then something caught my eye on his proposal. I thought he was trying to sneak something past me. I asked him about it and he gave me his answer.

Now you have to remember that my anger was still boiling under the surface. Not only could I not see straight, I couldn’t hear straight either. Dealer “A” was not trying to sneak anything past me. It was all there, clearly in black and white and his explanation fit what was in writing.

I heard and saw something different, something that was not there and I told him I didn’t want to buy a car from him; cancel the deal.

The best way I can describe my language is… well, my mother may gotten  the soap bar if I were younger. I can also tell you that I was not using my “inside voice.”

You might remember from last week that I suggested the way out of trouble is through the application of spiritual principle. I had to work hard applying spiritual principle in my thoughts to neutralize the poison my anger had created and showed up as the internal pain and suffering I was experiencing.

I apologized to the car salesman for my inexcusable behavior. I told him he did not deserve to be treated that way. I also apologized for forgetting every spiritual principle I ever thought I knew, and taught from the pulpit.

Gratefully, the car salesman was gracious.

I wonder, sometimes, if we misunderstand the outworking of “Do Unto Others,” thinking that it acts like some form of magic, “So and so has been unkind to me, so I’ll practice the Golden Rule, be kind to them and they’ll be kind to me,” and when that doesn’t occur people are confused, revert to their old ways and say, “Well that doesn’t work.”

This great Law of Life is a law of life.  If you extend kindness and love out into the world, the world will reflect kindness and love back to you. We often do see it reflected back from the person or circumstance we direct it at, and that’s wonderful.

The Question

The question is: How do you want to be treated?

1.     Do you want to be loved and accepted?

2.     Do you want to be honored and respected?

3.     Do you want to be appreciated?

4.     Do you want people to treat you fairly?

5.     Do you want people to be honest with you?

6.     Do you want people to be understanding and compassionate toward you?

7.     Do you want people to be kind to you?

8.     Do you want people to share with you?

9.     Do you want to be made fun of or mocked?

10.                        Do you want people to speak to you and be friendly?

Here is the game plan. You can take the list above or your own list and for everything that you want others to do for you…you begin doing those things for them. In other words, if you want love and acceptance, start loving and accepting others. If you want to be honored and respected, begin honoring and respecting others. If you want to be treated fairly, begin treating others fairly. If you want people to be kind to you, start being kind to them.

If there is someone in your life whom you do not accept, begin extending acceptance toward them. I’m not saying to go out and try to cozy up to them, but to extend thoughts of acceptance to them whenever they cross you mind. Do the same with people for whom you withhold  respect; begin to extend respect to them in your thinking and let the Great Law of Life take its course.

“We reap what we sow; whatever we sew is reflected back to us in life.

Do unto others is not a teaching confined to Christianity, it is a teaching that can be found in some form in every major religion.

The unveiling I mentioned earlier is this; Sherry Boram is a local artist well-known in national Quilted Art circles. A month or so ago Jane and I purchased a piece of Sherry’s artwork titled: “Do Unto Others,” which we are donating to the church.

It’s always helpful to have reminders. I think they are much better when they are gentle rather horrible warning I endured.  :o) Sherry’s Artwork will hang in the sanctuary as a gentle reminder to Do Unto Others…

 

Each "Prayer Flag " hanging on the quilt exhibits the Golden Rule as it's stated in various religions.