John 3:16 Amplified Bible (AMP) 16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a] unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
The beauty of this scripture is that it confirms that complimenting others, a principle that I am very fond of, evolved from God. It also confirms that the power of the principle is two fold.
To compliment is the action of giving that which completes and/or fills up. A complement is that which completes and/or fills up. God’s unconditional love inspired him to compliment us with the complement that completes us, validates us, and makes us whole. This is certainly a principle that we should mimic.
One of the most encouraging aspects of true relational communication on any level is the exchange of complements – genuine, from the heart complements that verbally communicate to others that they are valued. There is no greater feeling than to feel valued or have personal value validated by another.
However, too often in today’s society, I have witnessed people complimenting others in ways that are intended to secretly destroy, demean, and belittle; I have heard complements that are condescending, patronizing, and rooted in motives of jealously and insult. I have developed an open hatred for this type of complimenting because it misconstrues what I believe God demonstrated when He gave us “The Word," the ultimate complement.
“I like your lil’ new dress,” is an example of complimenting with such a complement. At the surface level it appears that nothing is wrong with this phrase, but upon closer examination, its motive and its meaning are twisted. The verb like means to take pleasure in; however, the adjective little means, to make little of. It sounds as if the speaker is saying; “I take pleasure in your new dress.” What is actually being communicated is, “I take pleasure in and make little of your new dress because I don’t have one myself,” or “I take pleasure in making little of your new dress to make you think that I am complimenting you, but really I am laughing at you." "You look pretty with your make up on," and "You are handsome now that you've lost weight" are a few similar twisted complements that were given to me by a friend after she read this devotion.
A comparison of these entities creates an awareness that often escapes many. If you have ever walked away from a complement feeling unsure or perhaps even put down, you understand firsthand my strong dislike of this “off brand” complimenting. In His unconditional love for us, God gave us His all. The psalmist David said, I would never offer sacrifices unto God that cost me nothing. A person filled with hate, ill will, and trickery loses nothing to offer patronizing complements. The recipient only feels the hurt, the person who thinks he/she is getting God’s example of what a complement should be.
Stop right now and think about the complimenting you’ve done recently. If any part of your complement was given for any reason other than edification, you have some confessing to do. From now on, lets compliment others with complements that validate the God on the inside of us and provide Godly value to our brothers and sisters.
Amen.
The beauty of this scripture is that it confirms that complimenting others, a principle that I am very fond of, evolved from God. It also confirms that the power of the principle is two fold.
To compliment is the action of giving that which completes and/or fills up. A complement is that which completes and/or fills up. God’s unconditional love inspired him to compliment us with the complement that completes us, validates us, and makes us whole. This is certainly a principle that we should mimic.
One of the most encouraging aspects of true relational communication on any level is the exchange of complements – genuine, from the heart complements that verbally communicate to others that they are valued. There is no greater feeling than to feel valued or have personal value validated by another.
However, too often in today’s society, I have witnessed people complimenting others in ways that are intended to secretly destroy, demean, and belittle; I have heard complements that are condescending, patronizing, and rooted in motives of jealously and insult. I have developed an open hatred for this type of complimenting because it misconstrues what I believe God demonstrated when He gave us “The Word," the ultimate complement.
“I like your lil’ new dress,” is an example of complimenting with such a complement. At the surface level it appears that nothing is wrong with this phrase, but upon closer examination, its motive and its meaning are twisted. The verb like means to take pleasure in; however, the adjective little means, to make little of. It sounds as if the speaker is saying; “I take pleasure in your new dress.” What is actually being communicated is, “I take pleasure in and make little of your new dress because I don’t have one myself,” or “I take pleasure in making little of your new dress to make you think that I am complimenting you, but really I am laughing at you." "You look pretty with your make up on," and "You are handsome now that you've lost weight" are a few similar twisted complements that were given to me by a friend after she read this devotion.
A comparison of these entities creates an awareness that often escapes many. If you have ever walked away from a complement feeling unsure or perhaps even put down, you understand firsthand my strong dislike of this “off brand” complimenting. In His unconditional love for us, God gave us His all. The psalmist David said, I would never offer sacrifices unto God that cost me nothing. A person filled with hate, ill will, and trickery loses nothing to offer patronizing complements. The recipient only feels the hurt, the person who thinks he/she is getting God’s example of what a complement should be.
Stop right now and think about the complimenting you’ve done recently. If any part of your complement was given for any reason other than edification, you have some confessing to do. From now on, lets compliment others with complements that validate the God on the inside of us and provide Godly value to our brothers and sisters.
Amen.
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