A Great Rule

“Treat men exactly as you would like them to treat you.”

Luke 6:31 (Phillips) 

I love to go to a local park to walk the 1.25 mile trail through the woods.  It is great exercise, because the path follows the natural incline/decline of the forest floor, giving the walker/runner/cyclist a "hills and valleys" workout.  There are a multitude of rules posted at the beginning and ending of the trail:  dogs must be on a leash; bicycles on the left; walkers on the right; only official vehicles on the trail (golf carts used by the rangers), park only in lined spaces, etc.  Too often, however, I run into someone who believes that those rules are for other people – not for them. 

These famous words spoken by Jesus are taught to our school children as the Golden Rule of human behavior: give other people the same courtesy and respect that you hope they will give to you.  There is no guarantee, of course, that your attitude will be reciprocated, because it is much easier to take the route of putting myself first at the inconvenience of everyone else.  However, stopping to think about the consequences of our choices on those around us is a great step in the right direction for living by the Golden Rule.