Kellie Alexander

Very early in my adult life, I scored a really great secretarial position at a small software company in Cincinnati. The pay wasn’t a ton, but the benefits were great, it was a standard 9 to 5 with paid sick time and holidays, and it basically met my every need financially speaking. I was thrilled with the job! It didn’t come without its share of human foibles, however, like anything in life. As a secretary, I was required of course to answer telephone lines for several middle managers. I began to notice that I was extremely calm under pressure with someone who was less than pleasant to deal with over the phone. I mean, nothing really rattled my cage, and I faced a fare share of cage-rattlers on some of those phone calls! I began to take notice, also, that I did not respond at all in kind at home with my family. My mom and I would have regular arguments, and I would go from zero to irritated in no time flat. At one point, it occurred to me to ask myself why? Why was I willing to be polite to perfect strangers and not show the same courtesy to my family back at home?

The Bible says in James 3:10 “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”

I have pondered this same question even more as I have moved into married life and have been in the process of raising adolescent children. Don’t I want to be treated with courtesy? If so, then can I see how important it is to treat others the same way? What’s the worst thing that could happen if you started treating the little ones entrusted to your daily care with at least as much courtesy as you show the lady at the drive-thru at your favorite local fast food chain? The power to decide is yours.