Respect Others As You Want To Be Respected
Have you ever been disrespected?
Have you ever – in your thoughts, words attitudes or actions – disrespected someone else?
If so, why do we act so offended when someone treats us disrespectfully?
Is it right for us to take offense when people misjudge us, speak ill of us, reject us? When they rudely disagree with us? Invade our schedule or ignore our wishes? Fail to appreciate us?
If something doesn’t change soon, it’s scary to think how much this cycle of disrespect could escalate.
How might it break the cycle if we chose to purposely alter the way we treat one another? We want to be treated with fairness, integrity, honor, appreciation and love, right? So does everyone else.
How would it impact our homes, churches, workplaces, communities and social media if we heeded Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:12 (ESV):
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them”?
If you can relate to this issue, what steps can you take this week to change your behavior? Would you like God to help you be kind to your spouse, friends, strangers – and to those who treat you unfairly?
What if we asked God to help us practice this week’s verse in every relationship and in all our communication? We can start by memorizing Matthew 7:12 and asking the Holy Spirit to show us whenever we fall short of living the Golden Rule – and then to give us the grace and will to do better.
It may take time for most of us (me, for sure) to see improvement in ourselves. In fact, as we allow God’s Spirit to show us each time we mess up, we may be embarrassed to see how often we put our own needs and feelings ahead of others. Especially in our thought life and attitudes.
Let’s not become discouraged. God promises to work in us to help us treat others with the same respect we desire (and need) to be treated.
As a society, we can’t break the cycle of disrespect until someone chooses to take the first step to stop its escalation in our homes, churches, workplaces or communities.
Let’s be that one.
What do you think?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. (Others might also benefit from your comment.)
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Sheryl, thank you for your exceptional blog message today! I found it to be both insightful and encouraging and have shared it on our Heart”wings” A Women’s Fellowship/Ministry community page as well as my Timeline. j
Thank you, Joyce! I appreciate your encouraging words so much. AND thank you for sharing my devotion on your Heart”wings” A Women’s Fellowship/Ministry community page — as well as your Timeline!!
“ Let’s not become discouraged. The same God who convicts us has also promised to work in us to help us treat others with the same respect we desire (and need) to be treated.”
Such an encouraging message. I do desire to be that person who takes the first step to stop the escalation.
Thank you, Barbara! Me too!! I pray to be that person who takes the first step also. Let’s pray for God to show us how that first step should be taken.
This would be such a great thing if we truly and purposefully practiced respecting others.
Right?! It would be a different world, wouldn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by, Judith!
Sheryl I appreciate everything you write. Thanks for inspiring words. I really appreciate you!
Wow! That is so sweet, Dave. THANK you.
Please pray for me as I continue to write. In fact, I’ll be going to the Florida Christian Writing Conference next month. Please pray that I make good contacts (including finding an agent) and learn a lot!!
Again, thank you, Dave, for your very kind words – and for reading my weekly devotions
This post was a great reminder of what God expects of us if we say we represent Him on this earth. It’s easy to just ignore others rather than deal with our differences. I feel ignoring others is a form of disrespect and reveals my bias rather than my respect.
Praying for you as you continue to serve God & others via your blog.
I so agree, Pat. It is much easier to ignore someone who disagrees with us – and does not reflect God’s love.
Thank you for your prayers, Pat! I depend on God’s direction as I write.
AND thank you for stopping by Today Can Be Different. Please do so often.
I recently moved to Japan to b with my wife and it is amazing what courtesy can do. Maybe because everyone lives so close, people tend to apologize a lot. You get close to someone and both apologize. You even apologize when maybe the other person was at fault. It defused the situation plus in most cases accidental anyway. I think maybe here you are dependent upon your neighbor a lot. You want to be on good terms with your neighbor as if his house catches on fire yours and the whole block probably will unless help fast since your wall is Ma be 3 feet from your neighbors. The whole society seems built on respect. Monday was Respect for Aged holiday by the way.
Not a Christian nation by any sense but the general feeling here is what one would expect with Christian principles.
Hi, Brook. Thank you for your very interesting – and revealing – comment. We could learn SO much from the Japanese in the way we treat one another. I pray we in America do. Thank you for your comment. AND welcome to Today Can Be Different. I hope you stop by often.
I had heard someone else expand on the concept of “Treat others as you wish to be Treated.” Granted even that is hard enough to do all of the time. I heard one person expand on this further and the person called it the Platinum rule : Treat Others as They Wish to be Treated. Do not assume necessarily that how you wish to be treated us the same as the other person. Treat everyone well but in the way the other person wants to. Hard to live up to but a good concept.
It can also make the world better and more enjoyable for all. I also think that God would want that.
Interesting thought, Brooks. Sometimes there’s a real difference in how the other person needs to be treated – not necessarily how we, ourselves, need to be treated. Thank you, Brooks.