Nice is not a fruit of the Spirit. I had a lady in my class several years ago that was renowned for her “niceness.” After working through the issues of her heart for several weeks (in intensive inner healing), she finally slammed her fist on the table and said, “I’m sick and tired of being ‘nice.'” I applauded her. As a matter of fact, the entire class gave her an ovation. We had all discerned that we were not able to see her for her true self.
Before I offend all of you genuinely nice people, let me qualify “niceness.” Webster’s dictionary defines nice as “pleasant, agreeable, and satisfactory.” Pleasant and satisfactory are acceptable, but “agreeable” I have issue with. The problem is we all should not agree! God is not boring and would not create a world of agreeable people.
You see, I’ve learned that when people expend most of their energy being nice, they often put aside who they really are. Think about it. If you decide that you have to be nice … Who would you have been otherwise? I believe nice is a mask folks often hide behind. (Especially in the South.)
The lady I spoke of earlier was taught her whole life to “be nice.” By the time she was 50, she realized she didn’t know who she was. She was pretty ticked. She had spent 40+ years presenting her self to be something she wasn’t. And in doing so, she had hidden her true identity.
She actually was a genuinely kind and gentle person, but she had taken it to a different extreme. She was never able to give her opinion. She elaborated that she was never really able to disagree. In a lot of ways, she had sacrificed herself for who others wanted her to be. Ugh. That, to me, is one of the grandest schemes of the enemy.
If we negate our true selves for the sake of niceness or to keep peace or whatever the lie is, we are absolutely defying God’s plan in our lives. How can you expect God to complete His good work in you if you decided you wanted to be something else?
So, here’s your ticket to freedom, “nice” people. Decide today to take your mask off. No more Mr./Mrs./Ms. Nice Person! Embrace your authentic self. Let others finally see who you really are. You will discover that God don’t make junk, and you will be surprised the freedom you will gain in just being you. It takes a lot of energy to be something you’re not.
Oh yeah, and in doing so, please don’t tell your family and friends where you learned this. I don’t want all of the “mean” people calling me.