One of the memorable quotations during the Democratic National Convention came from First Lady Michelle Obama: “When they go low, we go high.” These words from the mouth of the FLOTUS went viral. While they were fueled with political fury, we can apply this to our spiritual lives. When they go low, we go high. We need to take the high road. This is what Jesus taught us to do in this life when they go low. The truth is they will go low. People will stoop to anything to stop us from fulfilling our divine destinies and the call of Jesus on their lives.
Often rather than going high, we go low with them. We stoop to their measures, tactics, and behaviors. We have all gone low with them. We do what they do. They cuss, and we cuss them out. They fight, and we fight them back. They hurt, and we hurt them back. We have all gone low with them, because our flesh impulsive response is to give people a taste of their own medicine. We know that people can be really low down, but we cannot get down with those who go low. Jesus taught us: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” (Matthew 7:12. This is often referred to as the Golden Rule. The rule does not say that we do unto them as they have done unto us. We must treat others as we would want to be treated, regardless of how low they can go.
Unfortunately, we are living in a society that enjoys playing limbo with the feelings of others. The limbo stick is treatment of one another, and some try to see how low they can go. This is not the way we express love. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount reveals how to go high when they go low. He says we should loan money without any expectation of being repaid. Turn the other cheek; go the extra mile; love our enemies.
We cannot go high by ourselves. We can only take the high road with grace. We need grace to help us to go high, when they go low. Jesus showed us on Calvary that we have the power to go high. He was taken to the cross. They went low—lied about him, insulted him, abused him, and ultimately crucified him. But Jesus went high—he loved them and forgave them. They went low on Friday, but early one Sunday morning, Jesus rose up with all power in his hands. He went high.
When they go low, we go high.
