Summary: Jolene came down the hall, pulling her little brother with her. "Mom, if Josh doesn't stay out of my room, I'll . . ." Josh's lips trembled. "Jolene hit me!" he whined, interrupting his sister "I didn't hurt you. It was just a little slap," Jolene said, "and it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gotten into my stuff again!" Mom sighed. "There's a verse in the Bible the two of you should learn. It would stop all this fussing if you'd obey it. If . . ." "The fussing would stop if he'd . . ." began Jolene. Mom held up her hand. "If you'd both practice the Golden Rule, it would end the quarrels between you. Why don't you give it a try?" "What's the Golden Ruler, Mommy?" little Josh asked. "Not Ruler," his big sister corrected. "It's Rule." "Yes, and it's a rule Jesus gave. It says to treat others like we want them to treat us," explained Mom. "Josh, would you want Jolene to go into your room and help herself to your toys without asking you?" "She'd better not!" Josh exploded. "She won't let me have any of her dumb old . . ." "Enough!" Mom said sternly. "If you don't want Jolene to use your things without asking, you shouldn't use hers without asking, either." "Yeah, Josh!" muttered Jolene. Mom turned to her daughter. "I saw you and Carrie in Josh's room yesterday," said Mom. "You were playing with his new game. Had you asked him if that was okay?" Jolene slowly shook her head. "Do you think he should slap you for that?" Mom asked. Again, Jolene shook her head. "If you would treat each other the way you want to be treated, we'd all be much happier," Mom added firmly. "Okay! We won't fuss anymore." Josh nodded his head and grabbed his sister's hand. "We promise, don't we, Jolene?" Jolene grinned sheepishly. "Well, we'll try not to," she agreed. "I'm going to 'member what the Golden Ruler says every day of my life!" declared Josh. "Good." Mom smiled. "It's a good ruler to use for measuring your actions." How About You? Do you practice the Golden Rule--the principle given by Jesus? When you consider saying something unkind, offering candy to a brother or sister, sneaking something that belongs to someone else, or helping someone with homework, ask yourself, "Would I want to be treated like that?" If the answer is yes, go ahead. If it's no, don't treat others that way, either. If you follow this biblical principle, you'll be much happier, and so will everyone around you. Today's Key Verse: Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. (Matthew 7:12) Today's Key Thought: Obey the Golden Rule
