The Golden Rule

The following poem has been attributed to the former Mother Theresa and is still engraved on the wall of her home for children in Calcutta, India. It reads

as follows:

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.


If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.


What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.


If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.


The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.”

 In tough economic times, besides the rising unemployment rate, is the rising anger and frustration rate. Bad attitudes, hot tempers and pent up emotions can be easily and quickly taken out on other people. Often times, we take out our frustrations on the most innocent. But there will also be those times when someone says something or does something to us that are just downright mean and rude.

Always remember, we can never control what another person might say or do, but we can always control our response and attitude. It's always easier to treat people the same way they treat us or even worse. I believe the real challenge for us today is to follow another rule of conduct.

“The Golden Rule,” as it's called, reminds us to, “do to others as you would have them do to you.”

In a time when all of us can be a little cranky and irritable, let’s all learn to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Life is too short to be angry, frustrated and grumpy all the time. Why not start practicing the Golden Rule and know that as you do, you are offering to this world what it needs themost: grace, mercy and unconditional love.

-Pastor Larry Toledo

Vineyard Christian Fellowship-Santa Fe