By DANNY MINTON

One afternoon I called the phone company to check on an issue with my bill. It was about a quarter before 5:00 when I called and was put on hold by their computer. The wait was to be several minutes, and intertwined with the music was an occasional “We’re sorry for your wait. Someone will be with you shortly.” This scenario went on for fifteen minutes, then at 5:00, the recording came on, but this time it was different, “Thank you for calling. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. Please call back during our normal business hours. I thought, “How Rude.” I patiently waited to talk to someone, then was abruptly dismissed by an insensitive computer.

I genuinely despise rude acting people. I feel sorry for restaurant waiters, clerks at return desks, customer service representatives, and just about anyone who has to spend their day dealing with people personally. People can be rude at times, sometimes on purpose and sometimes out of frustration. Of course, the people behind the counter can be just as rude to their customers.

I’ve been to restaurants where people complained about the prices, berated the waiter for slow service, or because of how their meal was cooked. One time I was with a preacher at breakfast, and he was so rude that I almost changed tables rather than be seen with him.

I read the story of a man who went into the athletic store to buy a baseball bat for his son. He spoke rather rudely to the clerk and then, realizing what he had done, apologized to her. “I’ve been at the Department of Motor Vehicles all morning dealing with a rude lady over my auto registration, and I’m sorry I’ve taken it out on you.” Holding the bat, the clerk looked at him and smiled, “Do you want this gift wrapped, or are you going back there this afternoon?”

Love means that we treat people like we want them to treat us. Waiters don’t cook the food, clerks don’t set the return policies, and customer service reps don’t make the products that give you problems. They are there just doing their job despite the treatment they receive from the customer.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, rudeness appears to be on the rise. People are impolite to each other. They make degrading remarks about others. They talk down to those who serve them. They’re quick to tell people exactly what they think without giving the other person’s feelings any thought. They ridicule, cut down, demean, and often have a “better than you” attitude. They are impolite, have bad manners, bad attitudes, yelling, screaming, griping, complaining, and display snobbish noses. 

In the church, avoiding being rude to people is much more critical. Jesus treated everyone as valued individuals; the leper, the woman in the crowd, the Pharisee with the sick child, and the tax collector sitting in a tree. When the crowds came, he gave them his time. As Christians, we must take the time to emulate the love of Jesus in the way we treat those around us.

Love is not rude. In other words, love treats people like people and not things. It approaches people with the feeling, “I care about you.” Love listens. Love opens doors. Love says thank you, and you’re welcome. Love shows appreciation. Love makes people glad they passed our way. Love is not rude.

Remember Rudy on “The Cosby Show”? When her friend would treat her wrongly, she’d always say, “How ruuuuuuude.” Maybe if we started telling ourselves this every time we stepped out of line, it would help us make everyone else’s world a better place to live.

The old saying goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” So try being nice to each person you meet and see how it changes people’s lives. Remember, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ