I have read it somewhere that good manners consist of small things we do. That is similar to what the Lord Jesus Christ said about being faithful in small things as prerequisite for being faithful in that which is much, bearing in mind that any tow things that are similar are not the same. Another person said that it takes more courage to be faithful in small routine chores than to risk one’s life in a moment of spectacular danger.
It is not rare, though, to hear somebody say ‘Even that small thing” instead of saying sorry when they have transgressed or offended someone. I wonder if the Bible classifies sin as small and big sins.
Anyway, the book says that sin is transgression of the law and if break the law in any place, you have broken the whole law; that in effect implies that sin is the same all through – there are no small or big sins.
It seems therefore to me that the attitude we hold towards small things manifests itself in big things too. If we cannot be grateful for little things, it is very likely that we won’t be grateful for much that we are given. If for instance you cannot see anything to be grateful for in you current circumstance e.g. single life; like I have heard it said “I will be happy when I marry or when I get rich or get a big job”, then you might be in for an illusion. There are a lot of small graces in every life to be grateful for – remember a grateful heart make the soul glad, like some wise man put “You cannot say that a man who is enjoying life is unsuccessful.”
I was on a bus to Lira one hot afternoon and the bus was pretty full that some passenger hardly had any where to hold on to as the bus hit potholes on the various road diversions. Suddenly the bus came to a stop and a male passenger crashed into a lady passenger, touching her breast. The young lady was perturbed by the incident as she said to man “How come you are not sorry for what has just happened?” The man simple kept quiet and that angered the lady even more and she said that the man had sexually harassed her by touching her breast. Well, she consoled herself by saying that the man lacked good manners because he did not say sorry and some passengers on the other hand thought it was a small thing worth ignoring. The lady though went on to say that people who don’t say sorry are very likely not to say thank you and that is a symptom of bad manners.
Friend, I do not know about you and your surrounding but from what I have observed I my own every day interaction in corner of the world, the lady’s comment on sorry and thank you seem very much to be synonymous with either good or bad manners and small things do matter. It they do not, let somebody jump the queue next time you are at the bank or hospital preferring them. I bet you will think they are selfish and bad mannered.
