Message from the Chaplain

Do To Others…

“Treat others how you’d want to be treated.”  When I’ve asked Calrossy students about what they think is a universal rule that everyone should follow, this has been one of the first ideas suggested - and the one upon which virtually everyone has agreed. Many of us probably knew it from Primary School - it was often called the “Golden Rule”. Parents we pass it on, almost automatically, to our children.  What many don’t know is that it’s a summary of words from Jesus, that can be found in Matthew chapter 7, verse 12: ‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.’

“Do to others what you would have them do to you”? ‘Treat others as you want to be treated’? I doubt that there are very many people who wouldn’t say that this is the right way to live.  But applying it literally isn’t always ideal, as the following story shows:

‘There once lived a monkey and a fish. The monkey followed the golden rule, always trying to treat others as he wanted to be treated. But then one day a big flood came. As the waters rose threateningly, the monkey climbed a tree to safety. Then he looked down and saw a fish struggling in the water. He thought, "I wanted to be lifted from the water." So he reached down and grabbed the fish from the water, lifting him to safety on a high branch. Of course that didn't work. The fish died.’

The foolish monkey applied the golden rule literally: treat others exactly how you want to be treated. He wanted to be taken from the water, so he took the fish from the water. He didn't think about the situation each of them was in; or they differed. Being taken from the water saves a monkey, but kills a fish!

The key, then, to applying this principle of “do to others…” is to know the situation of the other person, and working out what, if youwere in their situation, you’d want done to you. This is something that the original Speaker of the “Golden Rule”, Jesus, did to perfection.  He knew that humanity needed rescuing from being alienated from our Creator (whether we realise this or not!); and He then did, for us, everything that’s necessary for that rescue to happen… 

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Calrossy Christian Fellowship - SAVE THE DATE!

The next meeting of our prayer group for parents & friends of Calrossy, the CCF (Calrossy Christian Fellowship) will be on Friday 22nd March, 9.00-9.30am, at 130 Brisbane Street.

More information in our next Newsletter – but put the date in your diaries now!