The Orange Trees
Each morning, walking to school, I would leave the house, walk a block down the road, and meet a close friend. We would then take a shortcut through an orange grove, pick a couple of oranges, and continue walking. We weren’t in the same class, so we would go our separate ways and meet up again after school to walk home.
One morning, I was called down to the principal’s office. My friend was already there. As we sat in the office wondering what was going on, the principal called us into no-man’s-land—her office. I wondered, “What did I do?” as my anxiety level went off the scale.
We sat down, and she looked at both of us. In a stern voice, she asked why we stole oranges from our neighbor’s orange grove. My friend and I looked at each other, knowing we were caught. We had no excuse. Our only response was, “We thought they were free.”
Hmm... wrong answer.
Our punishment was that we had to apologize to the owner. We also received two days of detention. Even worse, I had to go home and tell my parents what I had done. I ended up facing my mother’s disappointment and my father’s belt of corrective behavior.
Now that I don’t walk through orange groves anymore, I have taken a step back and realized that doing things without thinking can cause great harm to others. It doesn’t have to be stealing. A good example is spreading rumors, talking about others behind their backs, or slandering someone’s good name. Sometimes we do this without just cause. Of course, my position is this: There is never a just cause for that kind of behavior.
In Matthew, Scripture tells us to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Pretty simple!
There is another way of putting it in one word: RESPECT. Having respect for others is one of the greatest gifts God has allowed me to experience. I have had the privilege of working with people of different colors, different cultures, and in different parts of this big world.
I see in others the work of Christ. It makes me want to walk with my brothers and sisters. It is there that I discover how much Christ loves me.
Just a Thought, Not a Sermon.
One morning, I was called down to the principal’s office. My friend was already there. As we sat in the office wondering what was going on, the principal called us into no-man’s-land—her office. I wondered, “What did I do?” as my anxiety level went off the scale.
We sat down, and she looked at both of us. In a stern voice, she asked why we stole oranges from our neighbor’s orange grove. My friend and I looked at each other, knowing we were caught. We had no excuse. Our only response was, “We thought they were free.”
Hmm... wrong answer.
Our punishment was that we had to apologize to the owner. We also received two days of detention. Even worse, I had to go home and tell my parents what I had done. I ended up facing my mother’s disappointment and my father’s belt of corrective behavior.
Now that I don’t walk through orange groves anymore, I have taken a step back and realized that doing things without thinking can cause great harm to others. It doesn’t have to be stealing. A good example is spreading rumors, talking about others behind their backs, or slandering someone’s good name. Sometimes we do this without just cause. Of course, my position is this: There is never a just cause for that kind of behavior.
In Matthew, Scripture tells us to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Pretty simple!
There is another way of putting it in one word: RESPECT. Having respect for others is one of the greatest gifts God has allowed me to experience. I have had the privilege of working with people of different colors, different cultures, and in different parts of this big world.
I see in others the work of Christ. It makes me want to walk with my brothers and sisters. It is there that I discover how much Christ loves me.
Just a Thought, Not a Sermon.
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