God tells us in the Bible to treat one another the way we wish to be treated. It is one of the fundamental values of Christianity and other religions. Yet, in today’s world, we are not always the best at treating others as they should be treated. The idea of human integrity and dignity comes to play here. If people are kind to you, they are displaying their integrity as people and acknowledging your dignity as a human being. By dignity, we are saying you deserve to be treated with respect.
Luke 6:31 discusses this very issue.“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them,” the passage reads. The Bible is telling us that we should act with integrity because we would want others to display that same respect toward us. Human beings may be selfish creatures throughout many different instances in life, but many of us have overarching similarities. We have friends, families, maybe a dog or cat, interests, jobs, and other similarities. On a basic level, many people share many essentials.
Galatians 5:22-23 explains that “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.” The passage illustrates that there are very specific types of kindness we need to display. With life even more fast-paced than ever before in today’s digital age, it can become quite difficult to be patient. Should you send an e-mail and not receive a prompt response, for example, that can be frustrating.
Your e-mail message might relate to an important business matter. Kindness relates to this situation as well. If your message was about a possible joint venture, being impatient and rude could damage your business deal. It might upset the other person or cause he or she to think that you are nothing but a pest. Exercising the type of self-control discussed in Galatians is important. You do not want to let your emotions guide your actions all of the time. Being aware of how you act around others and the behaviors you display can be of the utmost necessity. You could end up abusing alcohol and acting unlike yourself. Such actions might lead to the need for an inpatient alcohol detox. God is telling us we need to balance our emotions in order to be the kindest, best people we can be.
Matthew 16:26 directly asks the reader some searching questions: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” These are some important questions to ask ourselves. If we treat others horribly yet be succeed in other areas, do we lose the potential friendships that could develop?
That’s key because, often in life, we may lose out on business or social opportunities. Yet, if we are too aggressive and do not pay attention to others in our quest for our goals, we could lose so much more.
And at that point, how do you regain what you have lost? As human beings prone to sinning, we make many mistakes throughout our lives. It can be a struggle for us to do the right thing with so much clouding our minds. We might be concerned about our families, friends, and coworkers, but not worry about how we treat random people we meet on the street. But that person on the street could be someone you meet at your next board meeting or a neighbor moving onto your street.
The average person may be someone significant who is coming into your life for a reason. On the other hand, there’s always the chance that you may never see that person again. It could be the only time you ever have any interaction with him or her. Regardless of our relationships to people, the Bible urges us to treat others well. 2 Peter 3:11 reminds us that “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness.”
You don’t want to act different from who you are because of alcohol issues, for example, and require an inpatient alcohol detox. Since we are striving to exemplify holiness and godliness, we need to be aware of how we navigate our lives and how we impact the lives of others on the paths we take. Because of that, we should aim to practice more kindness in everything we do. Even if we sin in the attempt, there is always the chance of change tomorrow and in the future.
About the author: Tommy Zimmer is a writer whose work has appeared online and in print. His work covers a variety of topics, including politics, economics, health and wellness, addiction and recovery, and the entertainment industry.
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