Good Manners Demand Courtesy To All

Do we remember the days when a man used to give his seat to a woman? When a husband used to open the car door for his wife? When young folks showed respect for their elders?

The story is told of General Robert E. Lee, who was one day seated at the rear of a train. All of the seats were filled, mostly with soldiers. A poorly dressed woman entered the coach, walking from the front to the back, looking for an empty seat.

As she neared General Lee, he saw her and immediately gave her his place. Every soldier in the coach then stood to give the General their seat, but he refused, saying that he would not accept a courtesy which had been denied the poor lady.

Dear reader, good manners demand courtesy to all, not merely our superiors! If we do not display the quality of courtesy in our daily Christian walk, our Christianity is indeed suspect (James 2:1-9; cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5).

The bungling inefficiency and the "I don't care" attitude we see in many businesses across our land today, should have us talking about "the good old days" when there was a different "kind" of person on the serving side of the counter — one who was courteous and respectful to the customer.

When shoddy, haphazard work habits and "care less" attitudes characterize a service oriented business, we don't have to patronize it again. But neither do we have the right to retaliate discourteously, simply because we are Christians.

Do we remember Peter's admonition?

"Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brethren, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:8-9 - emphasis mine).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets