Paying Compliments to One Another — Is it Our Responsibility?
It seems we have become such a self-centered people.
This is the time Paul spoke of when he said men would be “lovers of themselves,” 2 Timothy 3:2.
It never meant that we were not to take care of ourselves, or love ourselves, but that the time would come when we would become selfish, greedy, all for ourselves and ours and little love and care for those around us.
You can’t show forth the fruit of the Spirit if you’re only concentrating on your needs, your desires, what YOU think is right or wrong and how much glory and honor you can acclaim for yourself.
If anyone thinks that we are not to say nice things to one another, then you need to go back and reconsider…. read the scriptures again!
I think that as a people, we may have become some of the most uncomplimentary folk around.
Since we don’t care what the rest of the world thinks about us, we certainly wouldn’t know or care that many think we have become some of the rudest, most impolite people on the planet.
Where they once knew us as caring people, those who were nice and friendly, men and women who always wanted to help others in the world and they enjoyed our coming around, they feel many of us have become super-arrogant and think we are better than anyone else in the world.
And we act like that toward one another, you can say what you want. This old habit of saying, “Hello, how are you?” when you don’t really mean it, needs to go.
Alright, there’s many reasons why we are not the same people today, with all of the cares and woes that we are being confronted with but there’s hardly any excuse for a Christian, or any other religious person for that matter to be mean-spirited.
Too often we know that our own people are hurting everywhere around us but we have our head in the clouds, acting like everything’s just great and it’s business as usual.
It’s true that half our country is on nerve pills and tranquilizers but we think nobody needs an encouraging word or a compliment once in awhile.
People with class and character compliment others. A real gentleman and a real lady know how to be friendly, courteous and how to make others feel at ease in their presence.
It’s not about your religion, it’s about how you treat other people.
For us, if you have Christ in you, then you treat others the way He did. Many of this generation of young people today are the most self-centered, border-line snobs ever birthed in this country.
Their wants and desires take precedent over anyone or anything, no matter what. And how did they get that way?
We made them that way. They learned from us that things like integrity, character, honesty, empathy, preferring your brother, all of these things were passe.
Take what you want, get as much as you can while you can, step on whomever necessary to get where you want to be because you deserve to have more than anyone else. They learned by watching us.
I saw a news flash the other day that surprised me. It was something like, “Ten things you should teach your children if you want them to be liked and respected by others.”
Things like, “Say ‘Yes Sir!’ and ‘No Sir,’ ‘Yes Ma’am’ and ‘No Ma’am’, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, offer to let others go first, offer to share their things with others,” and so forth.
I thought, what? You mean now our psychologists have to come out with a news flash about what we ought to be teaching our kids?
The truth is, many people now see what our children and society becomes without these things.
One person responded, “How do you teach the children these things when they don’t see their parents doing it?” Good point!
One should never assume, that someone does not need a nice compliment, especially for something well done!
That person may appear totally self-reliant, but underneath be very scared, troubled or worried.
Most of us truly know that a couple of words from another person can make your whole day.
Whether it’s a family member, a co-worker, the cashier at the grocery store or our boss, hearing a few kind words makes you feel important, special and worthwhile.
We like to get compliments. Why would we withhold them from someone else?
In fact, it’s very cruel to withhold kind remarks and a nice compliment from someone; and it’s very selfish.
We don’t know what people are going through in their lives. They can be worried about their child, their home or their job, maybe someone is sick in the family or they may be feeling low or sad about something that’s happened to them.
Do we realize how many people are depressed in our country today, including children who are on all sorts of anti-depressant and behavioral medications?
People are living in a time when they don’t know what may happen tomorrow. Our entire lives can change in one day.
Be determined that no matter how bad you feel today, that you are going to say something nice to someone, no matter what.
You may be on top of the world with no cares at the moment but that can change very quickly.
If you have been kind, considerate and complimentary to others, the Good Book says those things will come back to you.
We certainly do have a responsibility to say nice things about or to one another.
People who truly love one another say nice things to each other.
Folks will know what kind of person you really are by the way you treat other people.
First Published: November 22, 2011.
~ Robert Blackburn
Awesome. Profound. Thanks brother.