It has become apparent to me – and perhaps to others as well – that the civic arena is profoundly divided by partisan politics, which suggest “me first.”
In my opinion, this can be turned around by each one of us embracing “Three Simple Rules.” (A Wesleyan Way of Loving)
• Do no harm
• Do good
• Stay in love with God
This week’s perception reveals the opposite when we live contrary to the stated principles.
“A man told me he had been dating a woman for several years, and she was starting to wonder if they would ever marry. He told me he didn’t know if he could marry her because, as he said to me, ‘I don’t think she makes me happy.’
“I asked him “why not?” which was a mistake. He went on and on explaining all the reasons why she didn’t make him happy.
“Finally I interrupted and asked, “What kind of wife would make you happy?” The more he described what he was looking for in a wife, the more convinced I became that what he really needed was not a wife. He needed a goldfish, the pretty kind with the long tail that floats around, or maybe a Golden Retriever.
“But even a dog will make demands on you emotionally. A goldfish, though, just sits there and looks pretty and doesn’t ask you to communicate. It doesn’t ask you how your day was or expect you to listen to how its day was.
“The last thing he needed was a wife, because his whole understanding of why the world existed was to meet his needs.”
Remember, much of our future is guided by the principle we choose to live by. Will it be the “Three Simple Rules” or “Me- First?”
Citation: Craig Barnes, from the sermon “Learning to Speak Multiculturally,” National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C., (October 3, 1999)the Perfect Illustration for Every Topic and Occasion, 2002