Being rude seems to be the new norm nowadays. It seems like every where you go; people just have a chip on their shoulder. I don't know what their specific issues are, but it is fair to assume that they do not have the joy of the Lord in their heart.
My family decided to go for a bike ride today. Bike riding is not something that we normally do, so it was a new experience for us. We went to a local bike trail to ride. Pretty much from the moment that we got on the trail, we encountered one rude person after another. I thought driving a vehicle in Iowa was bad, but I never know riding a bike would be worse. I was caught off guard by people being rude and irritated. It was almost like how dare a family takes their children on our bicycle expressway. Not that my tax dollars helped build the bike trail or anything like that.
Seeing people being rude on the bike trail was not my first encounter in let's say the past hour or so. It seems like we are growing up in a society where too many people have me first mentality. Instead of treating others with respect, people put their selfish interests first. One thing I like to point out to my children is when others in public are rude. Not to shame the other person, but to show my kids first hand what being rude looks like. When they see the behavior, they understand that what the person is doing is not acceptable.
Quit being rude to others.
My grandmother gave me the best piece of advice as a child. When ever I came to her with a story about someone being rude or mean to me, she always told me the same line. Kill them with kindness. For those of you that have never heard this expression before, it means to be so sweet to the other person that their attitude disappears. When you over power their negative attitude with a positive one, you will more than likely change their actions as well.
The advice that my grandmother gave me as a child still rings true today. When someone is rude, just kill them with kindness. Go out of your way to ask them how their day is going. Greet them with a positive attitude. Show them God's love and compassion. Be the light in their dark world, and you never know, you may just spark a fire in them.
Mark 12:31 NASB The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”