Sweet or Good?

What cotton candy taught me about marriage.

I was gisting with my daughter the other day,

and she was explaining the concept of cotton candy to my son.

“It’s just sugar and coloring fluffed out,” she said.

“It’s really good…but not healthy.”

I smiled. 

Then I asked her,

“Did you mean it’s sweet…or it’s good?”

Because there’s a difference.

And not just with snacks.

With marriage too.

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A lot of what we call good in relationships…

is just sweet.

It caters to our cravings.

It satisfies our emotional sugar tooth.

It melts in the moment.

But give it time

and there’s no substance left.

Just a hollow heart

and a crash you didn’t see coming.

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We say things like:

“They get me.”

“They always say the right thing.”

“We never fight.”

“They make me laugh sooo much.”

That’s all beautiful.

But that’s sweet.

Sweet is enjoyable.

But good?

Good is sustainable.

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The Bible says in Romans 12:9: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

But truth is:

If we don’t know the difference between sweet and good,

we’ll cling to what feels good

instead of what actually is.

“Good” love is not always easy.

Sometimes it comes with hard conversations.

Sometimes it calls you out and calls you up.

Sometimes it feels more like medicine than dessert.

But good love nourishes.

It grows us.

It protects us.

It points us back to Christ.

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So the question in marriage isn’t just:

Does it taste good? OR

Does it feel good?

The real question should be:

Is this building something God can bless?

Is this kind of love bearing fruit...or just feeding our appetite?

Sweet love is fun.

Good love is fruitful.

Sweet love says “I want what I want.”

Good love says “I want what’s right...even when it’s hard.”

Sweet love is cotton candy.

Good love is communion.

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Don’t get me wrong...there is a place for sweetness too.

Even God gives us moments that taste like honey.

But when it comes to how we love...

and who we call “good for me”

We shouldn't let sweetness blind us to the absence of substance.

We should choose the kind of love that nourishes, not just excites.

We should choose the kind of good that still stands when the sweetness fades.

Let’s be better.

Let’s love better.

Let’s do better.

Not by chasing sugar highs in our relationships...

but by choosing the kind of love that truly fills and sustains.

👣 Be Better. 💛 Love Better. 🙌🏾 Do Better. 💍 Marriage Works.