A Mean Man Named Mr. Nice

Have you ever known a person whose name did not match his/her character? Such was the case with Mr. Nice, to whom I will soon refer. Here is some background.

As a college student, one of my employment opportunities was to spend 2 to 3 nights a week with a sweet 90-year-old widow named Mrs. Nice.

Upon arriving at Mrs. Nice’s house in the late afternoon, I would chat with her for a while and then prepare a light meal for her supper. When she was ready to retire for the evening, I would assist her to her room upstairs. Mrs. Nice was so very kind. Her personality perfectly fit her name.

One evening after Mrs. Nice retired to her bedroom, her son, Mr. Nice, called her on the phone. Being in the bedroom down the hall, I could hear her talking to her son. Mr. Nice was trying to explain to his mother where a certain item was located, but even after following her son’s instructions, she still was unsuccessful in finding the item..

Mr. Nice told his mother to let him talk to me. Upon getting on the phone with him, I could immediately sense that he was impatient and upset with his elder mother’s inability to locate the item.

He proceeded to gruffly explain to me where to look for the item, but no matter how diligently I tried to follow his instructions, the item was not to be found. He abruptly ended the conversation. In addition to being aggravated with his mother, he was now frustrated with me.

Mr. Nice, with his mean manners, did not live up to his name. He was not nice!

In the similar fashion, a Christian has a name to live up to. The word Christian means “a follower of Christ,” so, as Christians, our lives should reflect Christ’s character. One main Christlike quality that attracts others is being kind (nice).

“The Lord your God is of great kindness” (Joel 2:13).

Christ's followers are admonished to "be ye kind one to another" (Ephesians 4:32).

Are you a nice person? Does the tone of your voice show gentleness? The most important people to show kindness to are those living under your roof... your family.

Please do not be like the mean man named Mr. Nice. Instead, as a Christian, live up to your name.