We met the sweetest elderly couple in the Costco parking lot. The husband was parked next to our car in his Suburban that had a wheelchair attached to the back. His sweet pudgy wife was trying to direct her granddaughter to help her unload their two huge baskets of goods.
Enter my dear sweet husband, Peter. He has a soft spot in his heart for the weak, disabled and the elderly. Peter has been like this his entire life. When he was a boy in school, the only time he got into trouble was when he defended the underdog and stood up to the bully who was picking on the special kids.
Like a knight in shining armor, my husband came in to help this elderly woman in distress. He unloaded their baskets and carefully stacked everything in the back of their vehicle, speaking blessings over them in the name of Jesus.
The weathered elderly man with a kind face was a disabled veteran exposed to Agent Orange in service to his country and now because of his diabetes is confined to a wheelchair. Peter thanked him for his service to our nation and helped his sweet wife into the car and buckled her seat belt. She gently patted my husband on his chest and thanked him.
Now Peter could have just walked by them and paid no attention to their needs, loaded up our car and drove away. Instead, he took a few minutes out of his day to notice someone in need, and help them. My husband’s encouragement blessed this sweet couple by taking a moment to see them and lend a helping hand. We spent a few minutes helping them, but it blessed us.
When we slow down and live aware of our surroundings, we will find that God will put people in our path for us to minister to if we are willing. Not only does it bless both us and them, but we fulfill the law when we treat others the way we would want to be treated.
Jesus summarized the Torah, the law, with the Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, also do to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 English Standard Version (ESV)
“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:31 English Standard Version (ESV)
Think how different our world would be if we always lived out the Golden Rule in our daily lives.
Can you think of a time when you have applied the Golden Rule or has someone gone out of their way to minister the Golden Rule to you? I would love to hear how you have applied this principle in your life. Leave me a comment below, and tell me how you have lived this out.
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