Wednesday already. Summer will soon be officially here!
Maybe it’s my mood or maybe I just feel like offering up something on the lighter side today. In any case, I was thinking about our call as Christians to love unconditionally and how hard that can be sometimes.
Yet, I think that life could be considerably brighter if folks made it a point to simply be polite. Forget laying down your life for someone (well, don’t forget it if the occasion arises), but don’t you think that just saying “hello,” “please and thank you” and “excuse me,” could go a long way in easing the stress and strain of someone’s life in the course of a day? I sure notice it when someone’s courteous to me. Or not. I feel a little more honored when someone slows down at the crosswalk as I approach instead of racing through before they technically “have to.” Or when someone yields a parking spot to me if we arrive at the same time, though she could have taken it. Such simple expressions mean so much. This common grocery store exchange has been such an opportunity for me:
“Will this be debit or credit?” “Credit, thank you.”
Would you like some help out with this?” “No, but thanks for asking.”
No major sacrifice here but it feels like the right thing to do, and it makes me feel good. On days that seem especially hard or unfair, when I don’t feel like I have a lot to give, I derive great pleasure from being extra polite. I suppose that sounds silly, but it’s true. I guess because it helps take the focus off of me and it recognizes someone else. And it generally yields an immediate payoff of someone’s smile. And, it just wasn’t that hard.
In light of these thoughts, I will close by sharing some of my favorite manner rhymes from a most delightful children’s book entitled, Pass the Peas, Please: A Book of Manners. (Dina Anastasio and Katy Rock Arnsteen and RGA Pub. Group, New York ©1988)
If you’re angry at a friend,
Don’t punch or kick or shout.
Go for a walk and count to ten.
Then try to work it out.
It’s hard to keep a secret,
But secret telling’s wrong.
Remember, friends who blab too much
Aren’t friends for very long.
If your neighbor won’t stop talking
And you feel a yawn come on,
Put your mouth behind your fingers,
Until your yawn is gone.
When you’re outside playing soccer,
And kick someone in the knee,
Don’t tell him that he’s in your way,
Say, “Sorry. Pardon me.”
When you see someone who’s different,
Don’t laugh. It isn’t fair.
He might think you are different,
But he doesn’t point and stare.”
When your sister gets a bicycle
and you just get a kite,
Don’t say, “You like her better!”
Say, “Thank you. It’s just right.”
If a friend is having trouble,
And he falls and gives a yelp,
Don’t laugh or point or call him names,
Say, “Are you hurt?” and “May I help?”
No one likes to lose a game,
But if you must, you must.
So if you lose, shake hands and say,
“We’ll play again, I trust.”
When you’re going to a movie,
And the line is two blocks long,
Don’t butt in front. Go to the end.
Then calmly hum a song.
Okay, that’s enough for now. Aren’t these great? I think I could write a few of my own.
Blessings all today!
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)