No Problem

Someone does something nice for you so you say, “Thank you.”

And what response do you get? “No problem.” In other words, “I did it and it’s no big deal. You don’t owe me.”

What happened to “You’re welcome”?

Apparently the same thing that happened to “Please.”

Next time you’re in a fast food restaurant, listen to what you and the other customers say as you place an order: “I need a number three combo with a diet soda. Gimmee a large.”

Well hold it right there! What happened to our manners?

My mother taught me to say, “May I please have a diet soda?” Didn’t yours?

Here’s the problem: people know what to say--they just don’t want to say it.

I called one manager aside and asked if he knew the proper response to “Thank you.” He said, “You’re welcome.” So I asked why his employees didn’t say it. He couldn’t say.

It seems we have a problem with graciousness and gratitude. We are impatient and rude. Others are nowhere near as important as we are in our own eyes.

Our favorite radio station is WIFM – “What’s In It For Me?” And if the answer is “Nothing,” we don’t waste our time. And for many, manners seem like a waste of time.

Sociology doesn’t have an answer for this problem. At least not that I’ve seen. And the reason is (if we do what comes naturally) we’re totally and completely self-centered.

Someone will say, “Others don’t deserve to be treated nice. They’re morons.”

Ooooookay. There’s an attitude that will make you a lot of friends…

Just suppose there is someone willing to give you far more than you deserve. In fact they will overlook your snooty self-centered attitude, forgive your angry outbursts and stick with you no matter what. A forever best friend.

That could be life changing.

Exactly!

And that’s what God does for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus left his Heaven to come to our earth to rescue us from ourselves. To give us what we don’t deserve—that’s the essence of grace.

Blindly following our self-destructive instincts, we would never and could never change.

Justice demands consequences. Condemned by our own actions and failures, our future was bleak without a full pardon. And when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, taking our punishment on himself, pardon became possible.

Possibility becomes reality when we take God at his word, put our trust in Christ to pardon us from our “just desserts” and give us a whole new way of living.

Once you receive grace, it’s much easier to be gracious; being forgiven, to forgive others; being served and loved, to serve and love others. Gratitude has that effect.

So the next time you’re wondering what happened to people’s manners, remember this: manners and politeness grow out of our hearts. What we say to others reflects our true nature.

Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll adds, “The tongue is only a bucket which goes down into the well of the heart, dips out what is there and pours it forth upon the world.”

The only way to see people change for good is to change their heart. God knows that and he offers a new heart to us through faith in Christ.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!