Be Courteous

The security lines were long and slow-moving at Denver International Airport. The thing that made it even more frustrating was a constant stream of airline crew members cutting in front of us, delaying the process even further. As it finally came to my turn to put my things on the conveyor belt, a flight attendant jumped in front of me and asked if she could go first. Out of frustration and to my shame, I said “no.” As I cleared TSA, the one thing that wouldn't clear was my conscience. I couldn't believe that I had rejected that simple request.

As I processed my evil actions, I was further smitten with the thought that to gain a few seconds in my schedule, I had forfeited the credibility of my testimony. What if that person was a flight attendant on my flight? It would be embarrassing to face her, much less talk about the grace of God. For lack of kindness, I had harpooned my witness.

As I sat waiting for my flight, I happened to turn to Titus 3, where I read, "Show perfect courtesy toward all people.” I had dramatically failed that one. Courtesy is simply being gracious, kind, polite, and considerate toward others. It is just good manners. It is putting others first. Louw and Nida say this word means:

“gentleness of attitude and behavior, in contrast with harshness in one’s dealings with others— ‘gentleness, meekness, mildness.’[1]

I had failed in a simple facet of my Christian walk.  

One of the excuses unbelievers use for not listening to Christians is allegations of hypocrisy. And those accusations are often correct… we are hypocrites, but that doesn’t excuse my actions. One of the virtues of Christianity is kindness toward others. While a non-believer may use hypocrisy as an excuse to reject the message, I don’t want to hand that excuse to them. I certainly don't want my life to be an obstacle in the path of someone hearing the gospel.  

Lack of courtesy is a problem among us. I’ve watched Christians be antagonistic and complaining while checking in to a hotel. I've seen believers become angry at airline personnel. A friend of mine told me of someone who worked for a rapid print company whose boss told her they would no longer serve churches because pastors are so obnoxious. All of these kinds of actions throw up barriers to giving the gospel.

Our actions are directly connected to our witness. Jesus put it this way:

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

When Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit he mentions “gentleness.” This is the same word as translated “courtesy” in Titus 3. The natural result of Spirit filling is a gentle, kind spirit. So this is just good Christian living, and the bonus is that it may open some doors for the gospel.

[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 748.

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