It takes very little effort to be polite to others, but it takes more to be rude. In our society today, I see impoliteness more than I have ever seen it in my entire life. Some people do it just to hurt others, or because the victim cannot or will not stand up to them. During my childhood, I suffered so much offense from others because most of the time, I would not stand up for myself. So there were those who were impolite to me because they could do it. Did it hurt me? Yes, it did. Did it paralyze or cripple me? Yes, figuratively, but only temporarily.
One day I finally realized if I were going to move forward in life, I could not continue to let people treat me this way and get away with it. I learned to come back at them with words that would leave them looking at me as if I were from another planet. Were they bad words? No. I love the gift of having a very good vocabulary, so I “told them off” in an educated way that usually astounded them. I wasn’t familiar with this verse of Scripture at the time, but I was actually doing what it says in Proverbs 15:1 (KJV): “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Some of these perpetrators did not know or did not even care to know that I was dealing with a very delicate situation in my home life. My maternal grandmother raised me until I was 14-years-old. However, during most of that time, she was not well, physically. She tried to hide it from us as much as she could. There were times when I had to take over many of the chores in the house because she was not able to do them. Oftentimes, after school when my peers were outside playing and having fun, I had things that I had to do to help my grandmother. I longed to be with them, but some of them laughed and teased me about having to do so many chores. Some even called me a “slave,” not knowing the reality of the situation. When my grandmother had her good days, I was free to mingle with my peers. She taught me so much that remains with me until this day although I could not see it at the time. Therefore, be polite to others because you do not know their story.
Ponder and share these quotes about politeness: “Politeness and caring for each other cannot be a thing of the past” (Peter Frampton). “Politeness [is] a sign of dignity, not subservience” (Theodore Roosevelt). “To be polite to others is a courtesy; I have never known it to destroy anyone” (Anna S. Bright). Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
