Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I regularly deal with the Golden Rule in my marriage counseling, because as I tell couples, it can be very dangerous, particularly between men and women. The problem comes when we think of it in strictly surface terms, with specific actions. Sometimes that gives a good result, but sometimes it gives the opposite of what is intended, producing anger or even deep hurt. The example I give couples is that a woman’s chief emotional need is to feel cherished, whereas a man’s chief emotional need is to feel capable and acknowledged. Thus, a woman, generally speaking, delights to be helped even when she hasn’t asked for help, but a man may feel offended that the “helper” didn’t think they were capable of doing it on their own. (Of course, sometimes those roles are reversed, but that’s the general rule.) What genuinely fulfills the Golden Rule is caring enough about the other person to find out what they want and need. As the Bible tells us in various places, we tend to look at exteriors, but God sees the heart, and we need to strive to do the same.

Counseling others doesn’t mean I necessarily do this right myself! I recently had an incident that caused real hurt that came from my projecting my preferences and feelings on someone else, when they didn’t feel that way. I too need to keep growing! Sometimes the Lord shows me a person’s heart, but sometimes I assume I know it when He hasn’t shown it to me, and that’s dangerous. I need to be both humble and gentle, as I would hope others would be with me. At the same time, just as I can see that some people need a sharp word of correction, sometimes I need one myself! I need to desire God’s discipline for myself before I go trying to administer it to others. We are complex beings, and only God understands us completely enough to get it right every time. I need to yield myself fully to Him, and speak and act only as He directs.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the recent training You’ve allowed me to go through. Thank You that the first day of our gallery show went well, and for all the people who came. I pray that every day of this show would go as well or better, with our interactions accurately representing Christ to all. May we rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout today, producing Your results by our obedience to Your Spirit, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!