The Sweet Stuff

It was his way of saying he agreed.  Or it was good. Or he understood.  Just the one word.

Sweet.

He said it so often it began to annoy some of the other learners. Eventually they could guess when he was going to say it and said it with him or soon in advance of him saying it. He was aware of the effect that it had, and for a while he was unsure what to do. He concluded that he had no other line to use and so persisted with the word.

It’s interesting how he used the word though – agreeing, commending showing understanding.  If it was beneficial and something with which he could get in line, then it was sweet.

I certainly prefer this use of the term than the way it’s often used with ‘ooohhs’ and ‘aahhhhs’ from some when considering a baby.  Or worse still as the ultimate put down and bloke can receive from a woman who in declining his offer gives him the consolation that he’s ‘sweet’.  That use of the word I can understand to be the same as the sweet that rots the teeth. It is rotting as well as rotten.

My guy’s use of the word then, is something I learnt to live with and eventually enjoy and appreciate.

What does that have to do with anything?

Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13, 14)

The father understands the son likes to taste something sweet, and so refers him to that which will be good for him to taste that will get the sweet deal for him.  Wise Dad that he is, though, he also uses the desire for the thing to mirror the desire for that which truly offers the sweet stuff.

It’s a brilliant teaching tool. You can see the trigger. Every time there’s a grab for the honey, every time there’s a passing of the honeycomb, every time someone even mentions hone, the son will be taken back to what the sweet stuff really is.

Even as we taste some delicious sweet delicacies we can be reminded that tasting and seeing that the Lord is good is truly embracing that which is sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb.

The beautiful – the sweet thing – about a relationship with Jesus is that the more you know Him, the more in tune to true wisdom you become.  As that works out and you navigate life’s pitfalls to enjoy the pasture the Lord is leading you to, you understand why this really is sweet.

Embrace this. Your footsteps are ordered by the Lord so that even in the toughest trials you can remain at peace. When the world tries to stress you out with financial, relational and emotional conflict, the presence of the Friend above all friends offers the song, the verse, the prayer, the moment of silent to usher in the right word, the right response, the right act.

If that’s not sweet, nothing is sweet. As that is sweet, there truly is nothing sweeter.  Wisdom in relationship with Jesus is the sweet stuff.

I imagine the learner listening to all that, taking it in slowly, processing it all and coming to the conclusion that all that is …

Sweet.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden