Proper Treatment

What comes to your mind when you think of proper treatment? For me, I think of the golden rule: "Treating others how you wish to be treated." Too often we have our own agenda and focus on the things we want, and we care and treat ourselves well but not others. Think about what you thought about when you woke up this morning and the things you were going to do to make that happen. Now think about the people around you, they most likely woke up with an agenda as well. Do you have the awareness and love for those around you to help make their day just as great as you want your day to be?

I came across a verse in 1 Timothy today that beautifully illustrates how we should view other people.

"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." (1 Timothy 5:1-2)

The first thing you think about when you read that might not make much sense. We have one father and why would we treat any man who is older than us as a father? Treat younger men as brothers. Older women as mothers. Treat younger women as sisters. We have one mother, why treat all women like they're our mothers? Why would I want to treat younger women as sisters?

All of those questions may be a little rhetorical, but that was the best way to present this to you. This just seems like a weird verse when you read it the first time.

When you really think about it, the picture that is painted is clear. When you begin to treat older men like your father you begin to respect older men. When you begin to respect people more often your perceptive begins to change. You learn that you can take something away from these older men in your life. They aren't just older men. These are men who have lived longer than us young guys and these older men have gone through things that we haven't had to go through yet. Much like how fathers want to pour into their sons, these older men want to pour into you. Respect it and embrace it. I think of my dad and the love he shows me. There are so many things that come to mind when I think about how great of a dad he has been for me and I respect and love him so much. Older men are out there who want to love you and pour wisdom into you as well.

Treat younger men as brothers. When I think of guys who are younger than me and think of them like brothers, I want to pour into them. I want to be a good example. I want to encourage them and teach them lessons from the things that I have learned so far in my life. Having a younger brother, I hope that I can be the same person I am to him, to all other younger guys,

Treat older women as mothers. I love my mom so much and she is so full of wisdom in all areas of life. Women who are older then me are most likely to have that same amount of wisdom as my mom. A mother cares for her children. Think about all of the moms out there. They want to care, love, and nature everyone out there. Again when we begin to live with that perspective everything changes.

Everybody who has a little sister wants nothing bad to ever happen to them. I don't have a little sister but that is what I have heard from people who do. I know if I did have a little sister, I would be the most protective big brother that I could be. I would not want anything ever happening to her.

Men can avoid improper attitudes towards women by treating them as family members. If men see women as fellow members in God's family, they will protect them and help them grow spiritually. Coming from a guy, we have a tendency to have improper thoughts about women whether we want to or not. Even if we try as hard as we can to not, we still will get those thoughts. When I think of women being a part of God's family just like me, I don't want to ever have those thoughts and I am encouraged to pray that I don't get those. As members of one family we are to look out for each other, love each other, and have respect for each other. We are members of one family we can help each other grow.

I hope with the verse I shared today that you have a better idea of what proper treatment looks like. We are part of God's family and when we start looking and treating everyone like family everything changes. We become better people because of it. You love your family right? Love your family, love everyone. That is obedience to God and pleases him greatly.