When I was a child, I talked – a lot. I even had a t-shirt that said, “Mr. Chatterbox.” (anybody remember Mr. Chatterbox?). My parents thought it was hilarious and appropriate. I was a chatterbox.
Like most kids, I had a keen sense of hearing what was said around me, especially adults. Much to my parents’ chagrin, I’d often repeat those things. Some of the words were . . . not very nice. I remember one day my dad sat me down and we had a little talk. He said, “Daniel, treat others the way you want to be treated.” He explained that means talk to others the way I want them to talk to me. The irony went over my head.
Years later I learned it was Jesus who said, “Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you.” (Luke 6:31 CEB) That really impacted my life. As someone who was quick to answer and had a sharp tongue, I began to consider what I said before I said it. Some days, I’m still not very good at it. Yet, I want to be. I want to be better.
I think the world wants to be better, too. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that empathetic posture of treating others the way we want to be treated. Especially in this political election season.
No one is ignorant how the different sides vie for your vote and campaign by attacking the other. Little is said about the good they will do themselves. The emphasis is on hate, cruelty, and dehumanizing the other. It’s often done in the name of the one who said, “treat others the way you want to be treated.”
In light of the world around us, we’re going to offer our community something different. So, instead of a political campaign, we’re launching a human campaign, a Jesus-centered campaign, a Campaign for Kindness.
For the next four weeks, we’ll explore what it means to live out kindness and humility. We’ll seek to respect our neighbor and find common ground. We’ll grow in compassion and charity for all. And we’ll do this while discerning how to love our neighbor despite our differing politics.
As we do, I want to hear from you. What does it mean to you, personally, to treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you?
As part of our fall Campaign for Kindness, we’re beginning a new worship series on Sunday, October 6th, called, “Do Unto Others.” We’re also providing tools to help share the message to our community and offer the world something a little different. These tools include T-shirts and yard signs as reminders to be kind. You may order them online, in the atrium, and in the office. I ordered mine. How about you?
