Recently, some friends and I were having a conversation about manners. We were discussing where do manners come from? Our parents? Grandparents? Teachers? Friends?
It seems the world has lost its manners ….
I always like to check my heart first. So, I asked myself, am I kind to others? It’s easy to be nice to people who are nice back 🤷♀️ right?
So what does it look like when others are not nice back? Or maybe they just rude?
We live in a world of victimization and defensiveness. It’s always someone else’s fault or we get offended when things don’t go our way and don’t agree. I get it, and I’ve been here too. I’ve been rude and stomped my feet when I didn’t get my way.
My grandmother used to love to tell the story -that I swore was on replay-of when I was a little girl and she wouldn’t buy me a pair of shoes. I laid on the floor, in the middle of the department store and screamed “you dummies until her and my aunt walked away and left me there. ” Yes, true story 🤦🏼♀️
So how do we change this…..
When someone comes at you rudely how do you respond?
First, try to understand them and extend grace…..after all it is given freely to us.
Most of the time it’s not personal.
Bad manners are usually ….
1) Past down from the previous generation. (I’ll blame my shoe fetish on my mom 😂)
2) Insecurities from a deep hurt.
Both of these are hard to change especially when they don’t recognize their behavior.
And most of the time it’s not about us.
We can never control someone’s actions but we can always control our response.
But often times our response can change the situation.
1) Choose to not be offended. Offensiveness is from the enemy. It cause division. He wants division more than ever so why not cause it, right?
2) Make a choice to love others no matter the circumstances …. Hurting people hurt people.
Accept the fact, that it’s not your fault that others have deep hurt. Sometimes we are simply in the line of fire when hurt is projected outwardly. Love is the living water that extinguishes the flames.
Love always wins because it comes directly from Jesus.
Choosing love just means you are choosing Jesus first it’s not an open door for you to be a doormat to bad behavior. And if you have wronged someone, simply own up to it and make it right. We all mess up! Let the Holy Spirit do His job while you choose to love. ❤️
“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”
John 17:23 NLT
It starts with us …. Make the choice! Pretty is as pretty does 😁
Mary Beth Powers ❤️ author.speaker 