Thought for the week (we 21st July 2013)

The whole question of good manners came under the spotlight last week when a check out assistant refused to serve a customer who was speaking on her mobile phone.

With most of public opinion firmly on her side it did mean a dilemma for the supermarket as to how they should react. Is it the case that the customer is always right-or are there more important issues involved?

Was the checkout lady a champion for good manners or totally out of touch with the trends of the day?

Unless it’s an emergency there’s no excuse for speaking on a mobile phone while in conversation with someone else – it’s just plain bad manners. As far as our dealings with others are concerned none of us will get it right all of the time and there may be occasions when in rushing around and juggling the many demands on our time we may, in haste, have left a negative impression on others.

It’s entirely different when we deliberately treat people with indifference or even disrespect.

Saul of Tarsus, the arrogant, self rightous persecutor became Paul who went as far as to say that we must consider others even better than ourselves and found that his once hard hearted intolerance had been dealt with by God’s amazing grace.

Jesus became his guide and can be ours too. In an age that gave scant regard to children Jesus said that to despise just one of them was to despise God. To a woman with a dubious past who came to draw water when no one else was around he offered time and conversation.

In the agony and pain of the cross he turned to a wretched thief and promised him heaven and place in glory. He gave the golden rule ‘to love God and our neighbour as we love ourselves’.

There is begins and ends as far as treating others are concerned – it’s time to turn off the ‘phone!