I was teaching on how big God is and somehow, someone brought up how Christians are supposed to be encourager's of one another and the world. (Either my age is showing or my memory is not great, but I can not for the life of me remember how we jumped from the hugeness of God to this subject.)
Ah, I remember now, we were talking about how God has talked to us, and we were sharing things that God has told each of us individually to do, or things that God has told us we need to improve upon. A wonderful person shared how his wife and him often seek to encourage and compliment others because that is what they feel God has called them to do and I couldn't agree more.
This is something that I am very passionate about. If you have known me for any length of time than I have more than likely given you some type of compliment. It might be your hair looks nice today, your selection of tie was a good one (I gave that one today), you are doing a great job, keep up the good work, God has given you a talent, you are wonderfully skilled, etc.
I honestly believe in the power of a compliment and I think that we are supposed to help the people in the world to feel better about themselves. The world is looking for something to make itself feel good (that's why we have drugs, alcohol, addictions), and the truest way to feel better than you ever have comes through the love and power of Jesus Christ. Believe me, I know, I had already tried everything else before I became a Christian. Nothing worked.
The bad news is that there are a lot of people that will get offended if you compliment them. There are people that don't want to be happy, and there are people that are just looking to be angry because they are not happy in life. That is a part of life and it is something that you can not change, you can just do your part and love others.
The thing that makes it worse from a Christian standpoint is that if you want someone to not acknowledge you, you want someone to frown at you, you want someone to make you feel like you are not important, than talk to some "church" people. I am a "young" Christian, having only given my life to Christ a decade ago, and the worst persecution and the worst treatment I have received has been at the hands of "church" people. Please DO NOT get me wrong, the most encouraging people that have made me feel important have been in the church, but the ones that have hurt me the most have been in the church as well. To make a point, I bet that everyone reading this can think of a person who has completely ignored them and made them feel as if they don't matter, and I bet that every person reading can place a time when they were treated cruelly by someone who was supposed to love them from the church.
The good news is that YOU can help to make the world a better place just by talking to someone and letting them know that they are important enough to you that you can take some time to talk to them. Don't ignore the person that says "hi" to you in church next Sunday. The next time a friend (or even if it is someone you don't even like), is really hurting, PLEASE reach out to them and let them know that they are worth talking to (Jesus did it for you). The next time you are eating in a restaurant after church and you see someone who looks at you, PLEASE share a smile with them.
Matthew 22:39 -YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
