By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

As townhome owners for more than 20 years, our association contracted with a property management vendor for operational services. At board meetings, owners griped about what the management company was or wasn’t doing. We also heard negativity from neighbors about their experiences with the company. The combined effect gave the impression that the management company was close to being an Evil Empire run by the Dark Side.

Such was not the experience Denise and I had. Whenever we had questions, they were prompt and courteous with their answers. They informed us when we needed to know about things like delayed garbage and recycling pickup or a snow plowing schedule. Any permits we needed were processed in reasonable time and occasionally accompanied with helpful suggestions. Problems such as a glitch with automated dues payments not updating correctly, or obsolete contact information, were resolved professionally and with good customer service. I wonder why our experience was so different from what we tended to hear from others. 

The Kingdom of God and karma are not the same (there’s this thing called “grace” in the Kingdom), but they do share an attribute of “you get back what you put in”. Many scriptures point to reaping what we sow. Just before entering the promised land, God reminded the people that if they obeyed what they were taught, they would flourish; if they strayed, things would not go well for them. More often than not, if we demonstrate respect and civility toward others, the behavior is reciprocated. If we show care and even love for others, things tend to go well. Even if we get rude or snarky or worse in return for our good behavior, so what? Isn’t the athlete that retaliates the one who most often gets the penalty? Better to forgive and walk away, even more determined to play the game the right way. God sees that and will reward accordingly.