Nasty.

"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character'." I Corinthians 15:33 NIV.

Certain people in life bring us joy. Not everyone is enjoyable to us. However, there are individuals we dislike. They get nasty or make our lives feel miserable. The Greek word is Kakos, the ugly people that drag others into their misery. They wish for everyone to suffer as they do.

It is impossible to avoid these people in life. We must be in their presence. We engage in work, education, and situations where being with undesirable companions becomes unavoidable. The Word says always to love. A nasty person can make it hard.

I can be nasty, so I understand. Just ask my wife; she knows. My bad Philly attitude comes out sometimes, and it is terrible. I feel inadequate after it happens. But I feel grateful that my wife is cordial with me and allows it to pass. That’s no excuse, though. I wish I weren’t that way. It has been a deep struggle to free myself from this attitude. I pray a lot for it.

Be polite with unpleasant individuals. I greet miserable people and get involved in phatic conversations. Then they go, and I try not to talk about them afterward to others. Remember, Jesus loves everyone. We can ask God to release our attitudes, to surrender the nastiness to Him. It is always better to share it with Jesus instead of with others. That always leads to more misery.

Change our attitudes, Lord. Lead us away from our nastiness. Take the Kakos away from us and build love into our character. In Jesus’ name, amen.