Be Sweet
A few days ago I asked my husband a question, forgetting the adage “don’t ask a question if you don’t want to know the answer!” I asked him if he noticed anything different about me. Recently I had a new hairdo, and I wondered if he noticed. Well, he didn’t notice my hair, but he did notice something else–“you’ve been a bit less patient lately.” And, even worse, I knew I had been less kind.
My husband’s last name is Sweeting, and I took it as my own last name when we got married. Over the years I’ve received many comments, smiles, and questions about the name. In Elizabethan England “sweeting” was a term of endearment, like sweetheart, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. Friends and students have mentioned how apt the name is – that I’m “sweet” like my name. But too often, in an attempt to finish a task, or get to a destination, or just being bothered by people needing me, I can be less than sweet. I can be unkind.
I’ve thought about this, and scripture admonishes us to …
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 ESV
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 ESV
Being kind is a daily choice. Somehow, it seems easier to be kind to a stranger, or a friend, or a coworker, than to our own spouses and children. I don’t really understand why, but those we live with, day in and day out, too often don’t get my best, “kindest” self.
I pray for myself, and for you, that we would be kind, especially to those closest to us, not just when it suits us, or when the mood strikes, but at all times.
“Lord, help me to live up to my name, Sweeting, and be sweet.”
Yes, I agree; often times we are not as kind to our closest family than to strangers. I know that I wasn’t kind to my hubby the other day, and I regret it. I pray with you, to be more kind to the people closest to us.
Yes, Iris. I don’t know why it’s harder to be patient and kind with those we truly love. It’s an everyday choice, and may God help us to make the right choice!
Katie, wonderful post and such a good reminder to be kind. I have found the deepest wounds come from the insensitivity of those closest to us. I don’t have the family name of Sweeting, but I do have the family name of Christ, may I represent it well.
Amen!