Uncommon Courtesy

Greetings Dear Reader,

I was pondering today how shocked a lady was that I held the door for her at the grocery store. She responded with, “You do not have to do that. I can get my own door.” I simply smiled and let her pass. The responses that formed in my brain were twofold.

My first thought was to the first half of her statement. It was that I do not have to do that, but rather I do it out of politeness and courtesy. The second was that I do have to do it. It matters to me that others are treated with politeness and courtesy. We walk through a world where courtesy and politeness has become less important.

The language I hear in public offends me. Words that should not be uttered anywhere are spoken by our musicians, on TV (cable), and by my children. A student actually swore defiantly at a professor in class last week. We lose something every time we fail to be kind or polite. The words we use define who we are. What is in the heart comes out of the mouth.

Courtesy becomes less common. The world grows farther from the image that Christ, not religion wishes it to be and we lose our footing in the knowledge of the holy with each failure to show deference and kindness to others. It is a symptom of a much deeper disease that I fear has no cure other than Christ.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 - So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store.”