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Romans 12:2
Encouragement to fulfill God's purpose through Practical Life Application and Navigation

Ugh! – I’ve Never Been ‘Sweet’

I’ve Never Been ‘Sweet’.

 

You know, that southern, Lysa TerKeurst and Beth Moore kind of sweet.

 

Regardless of WHAT they say, they just always sound so sweeeet. They can get away with A LOT!

 

Do you have any friends like that? Where the sweetness just oozes off of them?

 

Or are you one of those people?

 

It’s just SO annoying!

 

A ‘sweet’ person and I can each say EXACTLY the same thing, yet my comment is never quite as well received. If it’s even the slightest bit snarky, I’m definitely the one who suffers the repercussions, yet the sweet one can say worse and walk away scot free.

 

 

Is it in their delivery? Their voice? Their accent? Their physical appearance? Their demeanor?

 

In school, you guessed it; it was ME that always got in trouble. I could be in a group of people all doing the same thing, and invariably, the first name chosen for reprimanding was ‘SHEEEER-REEEEEE!’ I can still hear my name being hollered time and time again.

 

What’s the deal with this?

 

To a large degree, I’ve blamed this lack of sweetness on my mom, but in all fairness, I come by it naturally from both sides of my very loud, brash, opinionated, Jewish, Brooklyn-ite family.

 

That explains a lot, doesn’t it?

 

When I accepted Christ and became a Christian in my early 20’s, this was hard to reconcile. Everyone at church seemed so sweet. Humble. Perfectly Betty Crocker home-makerish.

 

Bleh.

 

I knew in my heart that would NEVER be me! You have to be born with those kind of genes, and clearly, I missed that assembly line.

 

Ahhh, God’s assembly line.

 

What if we were ALL sweet? Frankly, I get a cavity just thinking about it. There’s only so much sweetness this girl can take!

 

Think about movies like The Truman Show and The Giver which depict, in part, idyllic worlds. No anger. No bad thoughts. No fighting. No ill intentions. Everyone speaks with such sweetness. It isn’t reality, it doesn’t work, and it’s nothing I’d want to be part of.

 

My head knows that God created me perfectly in His image and I am just as He wanted me to be. My heart just has to work extra hard at playing catch-up…

 

So, since EVERYONE can’t be goopy sweet, maybe it was my calling in this crazy world full of kaleidoscope people to take one for the team? To be one of the un-sweet ones?

 

Ahhh, but for whatever the reason or the case, I can tell you that beneath this no-so-sweet exterior is a girl who has developed a very soft heart. One that feels deeply and loves genuinely. I’ve developed a spirit of compassion and heart for serving that I’ve never known before. And an overwhelming desire to nurture, feed, clothe, encourage, teach, and love anyone who needs it. Tears well up instantly at the thought of babies who are hungry, children who are abused, or people who are lonely and lost. And my faith walk and love for God deepens with every breath I take.

 

Over the years, God has surely done a work in my life, and I have only to look at how far I’ve traveled to recognize the sweet spirit that He has formed within me along the way.

 

Sweetness takes many forms.

 

For those of you who struggle with a sometimes unsavory, unappreciated, or un-sweet exterior, please know that God has a perfect plan for you. He needs all of his children to fulfill their calling here on earth, and He can and will use you in a mighty way. YOU will do things no one else can. YOU have a unique ability to impact with your words and reach people that others won’t. YOU will take action in an arena that someone else may not dare.

 

You are valued. You are special. You are cherished. You are needed. You are perfect to Him.

 

There are a plethora of ‘I Love You Lord’ versions, but this is one that instantly brought tears to my eyes. I will never, in this lifetime, sing as sweetly as this young gal, but I promise to honor and serve God through MY voice, MY actions, and MY effort all the days of my life.

 

May your unique offering be a sweet, sweet sound to God’s ears.

 

Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

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6 Responses to Ugh! – I’ve Never Been ‘Sweet’

  1. Carrie Daws says:

    I love this!! I’ve never thought of myself as sweet, although I was never one of the troublemakers in school. 🙂 But, I tend to ask lots of questions, and often this causes ‘disturbances’ in others that I don’t expect–which puts me in the middle of trouble even though I know the source is not really me. So I battle devaluing myself and putting great value on those sweet people who can accomplish these questions without landing themselves in a mess. Why did God make me this way? I don’t know … but I join you in praying that we can both remember we are loved and valued exactly the way God made us, even while we strive to become ever more like Christ.

    • Your response, Carrie, just warmed my heart. I feel SO understood! ‘…those sweet people who can accomplish these questions without landing themselves in a mess.’ Oh, how that resonates with me. Thank you for shoring me up and for your amazing insight, which I ALWAYS value!

  2. Kathy Barnett says:

    This was a beautiful post! Thank you for reminding those of us that don’t quite fall into the “gentle and quiet” women category that we are precious, valuable, and uniquely loved and used by our God. That is SWEET!!!

  3. Lindon says:

    I guess the real question here is? What about the simple, sweet and lovable ‘DUDES’ out there? There are a couple of us around….

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