Douglas thinks of himself as a nice person; he has lots of friends, and he’s very good to his friends. But there’s a kid at Douglas’ school who is NOT a nice person, and his name is Asher. Asher is a bully; he’s always making fun of people and stealing things and pushing people around. But Douglas found out his weakness! Every day, Asher brings a Diet Coke to lunch, and Douglas used that fact to get back at him for being so mean. Douglas saw a video on YouTube where you drop a Mentos, which is a kind of mint, into a Diet Coke, and something awesome happens! So Douglas went up to Asher in the lunch room and said, “Hey, look over there!” When he looked, Douglas dropped a Mentos into his Coke, and when Asher looked back, his Coke sprayed all up in his face and all over the place. Victory for Douglas! It was perfect. He was so excited that his plan worked, and if anyone deserved it, it was Asher. Well, Douglas’ school principal didn’t see it that way . . . Douglas got called into his office, and as he sat down across from him, his principal said, “Douglas, that was unkind.” Douglas was surprised because he didn’t think kindness had anything to do with this—this was justice! He felt like Asher deserved it. But his principal asked, “Douglas, do you know the Golden Rule?” Douglas had heard of something called the golden rule that had something to do with money, but that wasn’t what his principal was talking about. He continued, “The Golden Rule is in the Bible, and it says, ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ True kindness is not about being nice to your friends; it’s about being kind to everyone, especially your enemies.” Douglas got in trouble with his school and with his parents, and he decided that he was going to try to do a better job of following the Golden Rule.
“The Golden Rule” Bible Verses:
- Luke 6:31 | The Golden Rule
- Matthew 5:38-42 | Eye for an eye
- Matthew 5:43-48 | Love for enemies
- Proverbs 25:21-22 | Give to your enemies
“The Golden Rule” Family Time Questions:
• What is the Golden Rule?
• Why are we supposed to be kind to our enemies and not just our friends?
• Can you think of any examples in the Bible of people being kind to their enemies?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for your incredible kindness towards me. Please help me to always remember the Golden Rule. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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