Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude… (1 Corinthians 13:5)

My bible is in the NIV translation–the real NIV, from back in the day. But, I wondered at the use of “rude” here. It just seemed like a strange word for this list. So I checked a number of different translations, and found the vast majority also use the word “rude.” 

A notable exception is the newfangled version of the NIV, which uses the phrase, “dishonor others.”( And the UK version of the newfangled NIV, which also uses “dishonor others,” but misspells “dishonor” because they’re British.)

Anyway, I find the comparison of those two translations interesting. Being rude to someone often involves talking down to them–essentially dishonoring them. When I am rude–and I am, more often than I would care to admit–I am seeking in that moment to exert my power, to show that I am stronger, better, higher up the food chain, whatever. I may tell myself that it came from frustration, or impatience, or stress, or the fact that they provided poor service at the checkout line. I may even apologize for “snapping” at the other person, and give my list of reasons for losing control. The truth, however, is that I vent my spleen on another person because I can, and because it makes me feel better. 

At their expense

Not loving, Beloved.

So, I may have to give the nod to the newfangled translation this time–and only this time. Because when I am rude, I dishonor a person I am called by God to love. 

There is a reason we are taught to be self-controlled, Beloved. It helps us to love more efficiently by reducing the time we must spend apologizing and rebuilding what we have destroyed.

Or who

Or maybe whom

Happy Tuesday