Rudeness Causes Anger

1 Peter 3:9 

"Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless them, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing."

It is easy to get angry when others are rude to us. I think we tend to get up on our high horse and think, "I would never talk to someone that way." But you can think back to times where maybe you did talk to someone like that. None of us are perfect. We can't get all high minded about how we act and judge everyone else. 

I have heard, we love to judge ourselves with rose-colored glasses but with other people, it's completely different. You might act just like that other person, given the same circumstances. Try to understand what they could be going through. Maybe someone just broke up with them. Maybe they just lost a job or a house. Maybe a friend was rude to them. There are dozens of reasons why people can act in a rude way. 

Jesus said, "Pray for your enemies." Why? Because they are acting like an enemy toward you because they are hurting or mad about something. Someone disrespected them and they are simply passing on that disrespect. 

When someone is rude to you, don't be rude back. They probably could use some mercy. Maybe if you show them mercy, they will show mercy to whoever hurt them. Maybe they are looking for a reason to love humanity again. They could be hoping the next person they interact with will redeem the last person that hurt them. Treat them the way you would want to be treated. 

"It is God's kindness that leads us to repentance." If you are with someone and you want their behavior to improve, being hard on them won't help. Show them kindness. Then they will feel bad for hurting you and their demeanor will change. Someone has to extend the olive branch of peace. Someone has to show that peace is wanted and that peace is possible. Break the crazy cycle. Love that person you want to be angry at, and end their pain.