I Don't Mean to Be Rude.

I used to bag on my mom for making her feelings rather obvious whenever she encountered someone she didn't like.  'Just pretend you like them!' was my advice.  Not that I wanted her to be sickingly sweet, either.  But just to be nice is a start.

To my disdain I've realized in recent months that I do this too.  I'm not that nice sometimes.  I think I'm a good enough actress not to make it glaringly obvious to the other person, but who knows?  I know who my favorite people are, and who...aren't.   To my defense I think that the why for me in being nice was lacking.  If I don't like you, why should I be nice to you? 

Perhaps it's not that the why was lacking, but my failure to see that each individual has dignity.   This is not to say that there aren't people you have to muster up greater courage to love, but that somehow in response to the fellowship accorded to broken man from the Triune God, our relationships are transformed.  Because my deservedness is but for grace.

So be nice, kiddos.  Because you really mean it.