The Golden Rule
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12
“God’s word makes its greatest impact in the world when they see it operating in our lives.” Pastor Doug Roberts
On October 2, 2006 gun shots shattered the quiet of a peaceful Amish community. That morning, a young man entered the small one-room school house and, after allowing all of the boys to leave, shot eight of the ten young girls he had taken hostage. Five were killed and three others wounded. He then took his own life.
The news of this unthinkable tragedy went out into the world. The heartbreaking details stunned even the hardest of hearts. We won’t dwell on those things here. Instead we will focus on the one thing that truly amazed anyone who witnessed it: the response of the Amish community.
Just hours after the shooting an Amish neighbor made his way to the home of the parents, who were not Amish, of the man responsible for this terrible act. He came, unasked, to offer forgiveness. Others came to comfort the shooter’s widow and her parents. In an act of grace rarely seen, the Amish people set up a charitable fund for their family, and about thirty people from the Amish community, some parents of the victims, attended the man’s funeral.
In a letter to her Amish neighbors, his mother wrote:
“Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need…Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.”
A world, hungry for goodness, watched as a humble people extended mercy and grace under nearly impossible circumstances. They saw the word of God lived out.
Thankfully most of us won’t be asked to walk through such heartbreaking circumstances, but we are all called to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. In our ordinary moments, when we comfort a sick child, visit an aging loved one, bring a meal to a sick friend, slip a few dollars into the hand of someone in need, forgive the one who has hurt us unjustly – in thousands of ways, big and small, we become living testimonies of God’s love for the world and the truth of His word.
A world longing for love and real hope watches.
Blessings,
Linda
Amen to that Linda. I too want to be a living testimony of God’s love for the world.
Powerful! May we see others as Christ does.