“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Romans 11:33

The older I get, the more aware I become of how much perspective matters. So many opinions, habits, and beliefs are formed by our understanding. That understanding is heavily influenced by culture, whether at home, church family, or the world. Two people can use the same verse in scripture completely different ways, causing harm or bringing healing. That’s a little unnerving to me.

My children are studying the book of Luke with me. Yesterday we read Luke 6, and my attention was captured by one very familiar verse.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” verse 31

My kids know that verse well, as I imagine many other Christian households do. When my kids aren’t kind to one another, I remind them of these words Jesus spoke. I probably grew up hearing the same type of correction. But yesterday I read this in the Bible Background Commmentary that the culture of Jesus’ day commonly used this “ethical saying,” only they used it in the negative form: do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.

My heart was convicted. I have been turning Jesus’s positive statement into a don’t narrative. As with so many other things, Jesus wasn’t teaching the negative. He gave positive direction and encouragement. If we focus on the do’s, the don’ts are simply not an option.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

• do be loving to one another
• do be joyful in your dealings with one another
• do be peaceful toward one another
• do be patient with one another
• do be kind with one another
• do be gentle with one another
• to show goodness toward one another
• do be faithful to one another
• do use self-control in your relationships

Positive direction and reinforcement yields healthier, happier individuals.

It’s not what I grew up with. My adventures in parenting seems like a constant series of re-learning, and I still am course correcting. It’s easy to wish I had realized this when… fill in the blank. Do unto others is a lesson in being becoming branches that bear abundant, good fruit. I am thankful God is still healing my perspective. His perspective is healing to our hearts and minds.

Feature image by Image by candice_rose.