BEHAVE!

Jenny Calvert

For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

2 Peter 1: 5-8 (NRSV)

I have many times told my children and grandchildren, “Behave!” Parents expect their children to be polite and play nice. We want them to watch their behavior at home and in public because it is the right thing to do, and they are a representation of us as parents.

Unfortunately, adults need to watch their behavior also. We are just coming out of a political battle that did not set a good example to our children. There was much mudslinging, name calling, and just plain bad behavior. Bad behavior does not only show up in the political realm, but also in everyday adult mingling.

One day, I was at a restaurant and I noticed the waiter seemed wary. When asked what was wrong, he expressed his dislike for the group of church ladies that came in to eat. He expressed that they were difficult, rude, demanding, and left poor tips. I apologized on behalf of my unknown Christian sisters for their behavior. I was embarrassed for them and knew that their witness for Christ had been tarnished.

On another day, I spoke to a lady who works for the annual quilt festival. She said that over dinner, she asked a man, who was working as a guard of the quilts, why he chose to do this job for minimal pay. His answer was, “I like how nicely everyone treats each other.”

Which behavior set the better example? We see rudeness on a daily basis; people cutting in line, people cutting others off in mid-sentence, people saying cutting things. People, especially Christians, need to cut it out! Have we forgotten the elementary rules of good behavior? Has it been too long since we were told to behave? We must remember that we are the only representatives for Jesus Christ. Will others want to come to Christ if we are acting badly? We need to remember the lesson we teach our children: Be polite and play nice!

Dear Lord,

Forgive us for acting poorly at times. Help us to remember that we represent You.

Amen