Sweet Thoughts and Sweet People
I have a precious friend who often tells me stories about encounters she has with people she has just met. She may have met them in a specialty shop while she and her husband were out of town or they may be sitting in the pew behind them at a church where they are visiting or perhaps they own the campground where our friends parked their camper.
Invariably, my friend describes them as “sweet people.” I recently realized why my friend is always meeting sweet people. Yes, the people have something to do with it, but more important I believe is my friend’s outlook. She meets sweet people because she is a sweet person and because she sees other people that way. My friend is looking for the good in others, and she finds it.
I believe that we need to be like my friend with our children. We always need to be on the lookout for good in them. So often they live up to what we believe about them.
I love the passage in Philippians where Paul tells us how to think.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence
and if anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
I am grateful that Miss Martha, my fifth grade public school teacher, taught us to say this prayer.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
Our thoughts are powerful. Jesus taught us:
The good person
out of the good treasure of his heart
brings forth what is good;
and the evil person
out of the evil treasure
brings forth what is evil;
for his mouth speaks
from that which fills his heart.
Luke 6:45
