“Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which
of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12
Showing
respect is an essential component of living by the Golden Rule by virtue of the
fact everyone wants to be respected so they must show respect toward others.
Raising
Home Run Kids demands teaching them how to show respect to other people.
Showing
respect is a second base issue.
A
second component of the Golden Rule is showing compassion. Showing compassion
involves doing intentional acts of kindness. That just happens to be a key
component of our outreach efforts at FredWes.
Let
me share a couple of real good reasons why compassion is essential in the Home
Run Life.
The
first good reason is Jesus showed compassion. What Jesus did better than anyone
else was embrace people without embracing their values. We used to call it
loving the sinner but hating the sin. It is very effective if you can do it.
Jesus could do it!
One
example is the woman taken in adultery. He rescued her from her accusers and he
forgave her but made it clear to her she would have to change her ways. All the
evidence indicates she did.
And
then there was the woman at the well. She had a sordid past and a complicated
life. She possessed a thirst nothing could satisfy. Jesus befriended her and
made her a better offer. She could turn from her sin and He would give her
water that would satisfy her thirst forever. She did and He did. She changed
and changed her city.
Jesus
knew how to show compassion. He calls you to do it, too.
The
second good reason for showing compassion is because you need compassion. Again,
the Golden Rule reminds us that we do for others as we want for ourselves.
In
a world largely devoid of faith and confused about morals, kindness still
translates into compassion. Loving people to life is an effective way to touch
people with faith.
Showing
compassion is a second base issue but it won’t happen unless you are connected
at home and winning at first.