Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Recently, I stopped by the Starbucks counter on the way to my seat in the boarding area. As I gave the cashier my order, I thought she might have assumed I was a corporate plant because by the time I was done, every box on the cup was checked. I moved down the counter to pick up my latte and thanked the barista when she handed it to me.
After sipping it, I said, “You made it exactly right, it’s perfect.”
The woman waiting next to me asked me if I was in H.R. I told her no and asked her why she would suggest that.
She replied, “Because you gave her a compliment.”
I commented that it’s too bad that we are quick to give criticism and slow to give kindness and she agreed.
Later in the trip, I had a conversation with one of my grandgirlies who was struggling with friendships at high school. She was afraid that a friend might take a compliment and give it more meaning than she intended rather than hearing it as a quick encouragement. It made her rethink whether to say anything or not. I reminded her that, maybe, her words might be just what that person needed on a bad day. Being kind and polite is always appropriate.
Our society becomes more rude, impolite, and unkind as the months pass. We, as believers in Christ, are called to be kind — to share the ultimate love that only Jesus can bring. Our lives are a book that others read and hear. Take the time to notice, to compliment, to encourage. Let them wonder of H.R. might stand for His Royalty.