The Golden Rule

Hello, my friends!
Guess what? I don't have a card for you today....I have a layout and I'm quite excited about! It seems that since I've learned to make cards, I've forgotten all about making 12 X 12 layouts. I decided it was high time I get back to it!
This layout was very therapeutic for me. Yesterday I had a very heavy heart.  A dear friend of mine was hurting and there was nothing I could do to help her. I could pray for her, which is LOTS, but I couldn't do anything to take her pain away. When I feel burdened or heavy-hearted I have a process that takes care of it. First, I pray! Then I turn on some fabulous worship music and I create. The page I have today is the result!
"The Golden Rule" is something we are all familiar with. I often mention that I consider the Bible my guidebook for life. Not everyone feels the same way, but I think that most people do agree with living by the Golden Rule. It can be found in Luke 6:31:

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."

It's a simple concept, right? All we have to do is take a moment to think BEFORE we act! Is this the right thing for me to be saying or doing? How would I feel if someone else said or did this to me? If I  wouldn't like it then I shouldn't do it! Yes, it's very simple!

So why is it that when it comes to the internet there are so many instances where the Golden Rule goes right out the window? Is it because we don't SEE each other...so we're not really there? Is it because we think we won't be found out...nobody will know what we're really doing? Is it because we live in different countries and speak different languages...so it doesn't apply? What is the justification for hurting each other. I don't know! I do know that there seems to be a trend happening online...a trend towards no consideration towards other peoples feelings. I spoke of a similar trend last June in my post  entitled "Just A Little Kindness" which you can find HERE. It's funny that it was also in June. Is it a bad month for people? Are we letting the stresses of this time of year dictate how we treat others? 

I think that every once in a while we need to check ourselves and see how we're doing with following the Golden Rule. We also need to remember that our online friends and acquaintances are real people with real feelings that can be hurt by our poor decisions. Just some things for us all to think about! :o)

I thought this lovely sunflower photo worked great with the Golden Rule theme. I did some layering, some punching, some cutting and some distressing. I even added some doodle stitching! Then I needed some more sunflowers. I made them using my Cricut. The cut was for Mums and not sunflowers but with a little work they turned out. I added a few more goodies, some pretty trim,  and finally a little heart charm to the seam binding on the tag. That's about it! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! :o)

Materials Used:

Papers: DCWV - Haberdash Stack, Recollections Cardstock;

Punch: Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page - Wildflowers;

Cricut Cartridges: Essentials, Alphabet, Flower Shoppe;

Spellbinders Nestabilities: Labels Fifteen;

Sizzix Dies: Tim Holtz Alterations - Tag & Bookplates, Tattered Pinecone;

Flowers: Recollections and Prima Mini Roses;

Ink: Distress Ink - Walnut Stain;

Charm: Heart - Gift from Lynn;

Garment Pin - Making Memories;

Yellow Sprigs: Art Angels Designs;

Trim: My Stash.

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A closer look at my sunflowers:

Linking Up To:

Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #85 - Anything Goes

Crafty Friends Challenge #4 - Use A Charm