Do unto Yourself as you do unto Others

 

This morning I commented on the pretty shade of yellow my husband was wearing, then added, “Good color on you too,” to which he immediately said something, well, smarty. Now the thing is, he hates it when I do that! He does NOT like for me to be dismissive of a compliment or give a negative response, so I told him:

“Hey! Do yourself what you want me to do!”

Beloved, we might be onto something here! As Christians, we’re keenly aware of the biblical command: Do unto others as you want others to do to/for/unto you. Even beyond that, Jesus took the Golden Rule further by asking us to treat others The Way He would treat them.

Jesus’  Platinum-Golden Rule can guide us deeply into a Christ-centered life.

With Christ at the very core of our being, we need to be aware that our Lord treated Himself with respect (John 8:49) and looked out for His own well-being as needed. For example, I found these relevant scriptures from a variety of translations on Bible Gateway, which I subsequently paraphrased:

They picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid Himself in the crowd and left the temple grounds, John 8:59.

At Jesus’ words, the people in the synagogue were filled with fury. They rose up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the crest of the hill on which the town was built, intending to toss Him down, but He passed through the midst of them and went on His way, Luke 4:28-30.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweated blood – literally – over the mere thought of crucifixion. Three times, He pleaded with God the Father to find another way, but when He knew the time had come to offer Himself as the final blood-life sacrifice, He gave Himself over willingly – not to the demands of people, but to the will of God.

Why? As the Son of God and the son of Mary, only Jesus had the Personhood and power to become our Messiah and offer Himself in payment for our sin. Only Jesus had – or could have – that particular mission in life. Only Jesus had to endure crucifixion as the final offering for our sin.

Whether in word or deed, however, crucifying ourselves accomplishes nothing godly or good.

Sadly, we might not even realize we’re doing this. I’m reminded, for instance, of a friend who faithfully serves the Lord by selflessly serving others. Lately, though, she’s been concerned about her own health yet admitted she’d made no attempt to schedule the needed tests as soon as possible. I encouraged her to do so, but before I got downright rude about telling her what to do, I asked, “What would you want me to do, if the situation were reversed?” and she admitted she would give me the same advice.

We’re well aware that the Bible tells us to “Love our neighbors as ourselves,” but we might need to consider what that means in practical terms. If, for instance, we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of others? If we’re unkind to ourselves, what chance do we have of being genuinely kind to other? If we have no love or respect for ourselves, how can we possibly show that to anyone else? 

In situations large or small, people often ask, “What would Jesus do?” but let’s also ask:

What would Jesus NEVER do?

Surely, Jesus would not willingly neglect Himself, abuse Himself, nor put Himself down!

Surely, Jesus would not let Himself be trampled nor hurled over a hill!

Surely our gracious Lord would not refuse a gift given in love – even if it’s nothing more than a broken vial of perfume or a sacrificial word of praise. Who knows? When Jesus appears in a bright yellow shirt of sunshine and glory, He might like to hear, “Oh, Lord, that color is perfect on You!”

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler

 

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Being a child of God and acting like one!

And Jesus said His followers:

Are you listening?
Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.

If someone slaps your face,
don’t return the insult
but instead turn your cheek.
If anyone grabs your coat,
don’t hang onto your shirt.

Give to the one who begs,
and if anyone needs to borrow,
don’t bother to ask
to get your own stuff back.

Treat every person the way
you want each one to treat you.

Then, if you act like a child
of the Most High God,
your reward will be greater
than great!

Remember: God is kind
even to those ungrateful,
annoying, awful people in your path!
So show them the mercy of God.

Do not judge or condemn anyone,
for God does not judge you
nor enclose you in condemnation.

Forgive and remember:
You are forgiven.

Give and remember:
You will receive
a good measure –
pressed down, packed tight
and running over and over all
you can hold before spilling
God’s goodness
onto your lap!

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased Bible promises from today’s Daily Bible Reading in Luke 6:27-30 and 35-38.

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The Golden Rule of book reviews

According to the Bible, the Golden Rule urges us to treat others as we want to be treated. If we apply that biblical thinking to our work as Christian poets or writers, we might say:

Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.

To consider this from both sides, let’s talk about the two views of reviews:

Giving a book review

Getting a book review

Either way, Christian writers and readers need helpful reviews of books in any genre, and most of us want to encourage each other whenever we can.

To give book reviews, start by letting publishers and writers know you’re willing to review books in your favorite genre. This will give you a free copy of a book you can read, enjoy, and learn from as you aim to improve your own writing too.

If you absolutely love the book, great! You have added to your personal library at no cost. If, however, you hate a book, you do not have to give a glowing review nor be brutally honest by saying the book, writer, and writing stink! Just decline the review. If the person presses you, pray to say something unhurtful and generic such as, “I didn’t connect so am not the best person to review your work.”

Since you have already reviewed the book yourself though, make a point of re-viewing the book for errors or anything you did not like in order to learn from that writer’s mistakes.

Similarly, reviewing a well-written book can help you to stretch toward higher literary quality too, but frankly, it’s easier to pinpoint what does not work than to see what works well! Nevertheless, as you read a well-written book, make a point of noticing the development of the characters in a novel or the theme in a nonfiction book. Notice the transitions, too, since a skillful writer will be especially subtle in getting readers from here to there in a smooth move of time, thought, or place.

As you continue to do book reviews, keep these tips in mind:

Be fair.

Be thorough.

Be specific in stating what you like.

Begin with positive comments, but, if you must make a negative remark, be honest but kind.

Be particular about the books you review to keep from getting bogged down in your own library. For instance, I’m only interested in reviewing traditionally published books for children or traditionally published poetry books for any age group.

Be particular about where you place your reviews. Some publications pay for book reviews; others do not. Although most of us prefer getting compensated for the time we spend reading a book and writing a review, payment should never sway our opinion.

Some book reviewers have their own blog to post reviews, and, if you enjoy reviewing, you might set up a free blog on Blogger or WordPress. (I use and like both.) Posting reviews does not fit the focus of my blogs though, so I occasionally write reviews on the Amazon site where I often order books that interest me.

As you become the kind of reviewer you hope to find, you will soon develop your own voice and approach. And, as you approach people about doing reviews for your book, the Golden Rule will again apply and guide.

For instance, I do not like receiving books out of the blue to review, so I do not feel free to mail someone a book of mine that I want reviewed. Instead, a short letter or email with a short blurb about the book and a request for a review shows respect for the reviewer's time and also saves you or your publisher the expense of mailing a book that the potential reviewer has no interest in reading.

To find interested readers, check out writers’ groups on LinkedIn or Facebook, join Group discussions, and look for people with whom you connect who might be willing to review your work.

Notice, too, the people who post helpful reviews on Amazon or other bookstore websites for the kinds of books you write. If you do not know the person, you can probably find a contact on their Amazon review page or, with a name search, on the Internet.

As you consider your options, I need to tell you that some writers are willing to pay for book reviews, but I’m not one of them. Nor do I accept payment for the promise of a shiny-bright review. I do, however, offer honest critiques of devotionals, book proposals, poetry, and children’s picture books at a reasonable fee for your eyes only. If you want that kind of professional help, visit the Critique, Edit, and Writing Consult pages on The Poetry Editor website for more information.

Meanwhile, may God bless our reading and writing life and rule each of us Golden!

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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