My wife and I encountered a slightly rude hostess in a restaurant the other day. She said we would have to wait for 30 minutes for our meal, and I asked if there was a reason. "If you must know, we only have one cook" was her terse response. We did stay and had our meal—but resolved not to come back again.

Rude behavior has cost people grief, customers, jobs, embarrassed friends and family. People usually think that a hint of rude behavior indicates there is more to come. Honking and gesturing at drivers you think are slow or making wrong moves labels you as impatient, aggressive and rude. Even your passengers will feel uncomfortable.

Human beings do have bad days, and stress can play on our nerves. However, we can still be on our best behavior and determine to control our tongue and actions. When God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He’s telling us to control our behavior. It pays off in big dividends.