The Lost Art of Manners

"Thanks for dinner, aunt Tami."  My teenage nephew, Jon, always tells me this when I cook for him.  Inside of me, a bombshell of happiness goes off!  Did you grow up in a family where manners were encouraged?  I did.  I was taught to say “Yes, Ma’am” (even though I wasn’t from the south!), and “Mr.” or “Mrs.” when addressing an adult.  At the dinner table, I had to finish all the food on my plate, ask to be excused, and then take my dishes to the sink and wash them.  I was taught to say “please”, “thank you”, “you’re welcome”, and various other mannerly phrases.  I was also taught to let others go first, to open the door for people, etc.  All of these eventually became a habit…of which I am grateful for.  As I grew older, these habits became useful in life.  They helped me in my jobs.  They also helped me in my relationships.  People responded better when I was courteous and treated them with respect.  You could also say that manners became a way of serving others, of “counting others as more important than myself,” (Phil. 2:3), as long as I had the right attitude! 

Do you practice manners in your home?  Manners are about our relationship with others.  Manners build character.  Did you know that no matter how young a child is, they can learn manners?  Start off simple, and grow from there.  As a child, expressing manners was a chore to me.  But when I became an adult, I could say that I was glad my parents taught me manners.  So, hang in there!

The following verses give just a few examples of manners:

Eph 4:32 “And be kind to one another…”

I Cor 13:4, 5 “Love does not brag and is not arrogant…does not seek its own…”

Phil 2:4 “…look out for…the interests of others.”

Gal 6:10 “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men…”

Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

Matthew 22:39 "Love your neighbor..."

Matthew 5:44 "Love your enemies..." 

I challenge you and your children to practice manners in your home with each other.  If you can do it there, you can do it anywhere!