Do you ever just need someone to say something NICE to you? Something kind? Something good?
I do.
I feel like people have lost the ability to give real compliments. People are so quick to criticize these days. And their criticisms are extremely specific, whereas, their compliments are not. For instance, "The way you decorated this room is really nice." Well, WHAT is nice? WHAT do you like? Do you like the picture frame I picked out? Or the place I put it? Or the color for the wall? Or the couch color? WHAT do you like about this "Nice" room? But, if they have a criticism, it's extremely specific. "This chair doesn't match the rest of the room." Really? I hadn't noticed.
I have been getting my feelings hurt a lot lately. I feel like there is just nothing good about me. People tell me so often that I am weird. Or that I am "such a red-head," whatever that means.
There's a Christmas movie that is played on Hallmark, where the single mom says that all she wants for Christmas is for a stranger to compliment her. When I heard that in the movie (last year), I thought, "Me, too!"
I often talk about how Catholics aren't supposed to be "nice." We are supposed to tell the Truth, and sometimes the Truth isn't nice. But you know what? Sometimes it is. To paraphrase Ephesians 4:29, we should only say things that are helpful. "White-lies" aren't helpful, but real compliments are. And, it's just been so long since someone has said something truly nice, without sarcasm, without adding something critical afterwards, that I feel like, I don't know, like I'd just crumble and die if it happened. A pure compliment.
I'd like to challenge you to do this for the people in your life. All the people. And, if there is someone in your life who really annoys you, who you really can't stand, who you fight with a lot, then work extra hard to compliment them for real. But do it. It'll be good for that person, because, they probably need to hear it. But it'll be good for you, too. What do you say? Give it a try!
No comments:
Post a Comment