I adore these kinds of compliments. The kind that catch the person who gives them by surprise. You know what I mean? I wasn't expecting to receive the compliment, but neither was she expecting the words to burst from her mouth. And it was her surprise that delighted me.
Because I could tell she wasn't on a mission to compliment people that day. She didn't feel like God brought her to Walmart to look for interesting hairstyles to rave about. She doesn't have a daily quota of compliments to give. She simply saw me, opened her mouth, and let the words that were in her heart roll out.
It is this kind of spontaneous compliment that bolsters my spirit. And helps me stand firm against the negative voices in this world.
It reminds me that we all have a choice. To be the positive, affirming, complimentary voices that can strengthen others and ourselves. Or to be the negative, destructive, critical voices that can ruin someone's day.
Our words carry. Our words serve. And our words say more about what is in our spirits than they do about anyone else.
Let's fill ourselves with gladness, so that when out of the heart the mouth speaks, ours will be words of love and affirmation.
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