-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
March 29, 2009
/--- Sponsor a Child with Compassion -----------------------\
For less than a dollar a day, you can make a powerful
difference in the life of a needy child. Click on the
following link to learn more about sponsoring a child
through Compassion!
\--- http://ads.heartlight.org/email/92/ -------------------/
=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Compliment Guys, by Patrick D. Odum
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve
others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of
God (1 Peter 4:10-11).
They were tired of it. Tired of people being grumpy, depressed, and
worried. Tired of always worrying about the current economic climate.
So Cameron Brown and Brett Westcott decided to do something to bring a
little light and joy to their corner of the world -- which happens to
be Purdue University.
They became The Compliment Guys.
That's what everyone calls them, anyway. Every Wednesday afternoon from
12:30 to 2:30, Cameron and Brett set up their "Free Compliments" sign
near a main walkway outside the chemistry building. Rain, snow, sleet,
cold -- whatever the weather, The Compliment Guys are "In." For those
two hours on Wednesday, they live up to their name. Every person who
walks by gets a compliment. To a guy in Purdue sweats they say, "Love
your school spirit." To a woman carrying a trendy black bag: "Very nice
purse." "It's very large." To the student who ran past them in
knee-high leather boots: "I like your hustle." "I like your boots,
too."
The guys try to be very personal and specific in their compliments,
too. "I like your red coat," Westcott says to a woman listening to her
iPod. She turned and laughed, which prompted Brown to say, "Very nice
smile." Three women leaving biology lab purposely walked by them. "I
like your curly hair. Great smile. I like your glasses," the guys said,
pointing to each of the women. One Wednesday, they told a professor to
enjoy his coffee, thanked the groundskeepers for their hard work and
encouraged someone eating an apple to "stay nutritious."
While most people react positively, the guys sometimes get ignored, or
get nasty looks, or the occasional obscene gesture. They get accused of
being there only to pick up girls. (They both have girlfriends.) Some
think it's a psychology experiment. But Brett Westcott says their
reasons for being The Compliment Guys are pretty straightforward, if
not too sophisticated: "Just overall, making people's day is really
satisfying. Not enough people do nice things anymore."
I don't know about you, but I think The Compliment Guys might be on to
something.
We're a culture that doesn't take seriously the power of words.
Strange, when you think about how many words we speak, process, e-mail,
and text every day. Everywhere we look, there are words: on signs, on
screens, on forms and petitions, in documents and books, on labels and
menus, billboards and bumper stickers. Everywhere we go, people are
speaking: cell phones clamped to ears as they walk, Bluetooths
(Blueteeth?) clipped to ears while they drive, in meetings and at
coffee shops, in schools and churches and offices and bars and
restaurants, over dinner with family and over conference calls with the
home office. So many words.
So little thought.
How else to explain the careless ways that husbands and wives, parents
and children, students and teachers, friends, colleagues, and fellow
church members speak to each other? How else to explain the torrents of
profanity yelled out of car windows when a driver feels cheated out of
a spot in traffic that he thinks should have been his? How else to
explain how we trivialize things like sex or family or even God with
too many meaningless, thoughtless, graceless words? How else to explain
all the ways in which we use words to hurt, manipulate, belittle, and
control?
We can try to do better at least, can't we?
So many words. So little thought.
No wonder members of some religious orders take vows of silence. When
you discipline yourself not to speak at all, you gain a better
understanding of the value of words, in much the same way as a person
who's fasting understands the value of food. Maybe we Christians should
give more thought to the vow of silence. I can certainly think of
situations that would have worked out much better if I had taken one.
Or maybe better, let's discipline ourselves to use words more
carefully. That's where I think The Compliment Guys have it right.
They're making a choice to use words to "make peoples' day." They're
disciplining themselves, at least for two hours on Wednesday
afternoons, to speak in ways that are positive, affirming, and
encouraging. I suspect, too, that those two hours on Wednesday carry
over, at least to some extent, in the ways that they speak when they're
"off duty." "If you speak," wrote Peter, "you should do so as one who
speaks the very words of God." I love that it's Peter, of all people,
who wrote that. Peter, the guy who was so well-acquainted with the
taste of foot. The guy who swore he'd never desert Jesus, and then
swore just as vehemently that he didn't know him. He learned, somewhere
along the line, and by the time he was an elder statesman of the church
he had learned how much words mattered. He had begun to regard words,
and the opportunity to use them, as gifts from God. He understood that
the faithful words of God's people are one of the many ways in which
God's grace takes form in this world. So he wanted the church to take
words seriously. He charged them to give careful thought to what they
said, to consider whether or not the words coming from their mouths or
pens were suitable vehicles for the grace of God to travel in. "If you
say something, make sure it's something that wouldn't seem out of place
coming from the mouth of God himself."
Well, we can try to do better at least, can't we? It might not work for
you to set up your own "Free Compliment" stand at your own work or
school. But then, there are other ways to bless people with your words
than firing compliments at them as they walk by. We can speak
encouraging words to someone who's having a bad day. We can be gentle
and careful when we have to reprimand a child or an employee. We can
remember to say "I love you" more often, and "Your problem is ..."
less. We can speak truth, lovingly, to people who are spiraling out of
control. We can tell the story of Jesus a little more often. We can add
to and listen to slanderous, gossip-filled stories a lot less. We can
choose to use words to defuse anger instead of adding to it. We can be
quiet and give others a chance to speak, when that's what God is
calling us to. And we can choose to use words to bless others, instead
of gratifying ourselves or getting what we want.
Give it a try. You'll get the hang of it.
Hey -- good job reading this.
---------
(c) 2009 Patrick D. Odum <p.d.odum@gmail.com>.
RELATED LINKS:
* Become a Builder
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200709/20070907_abuilder.html
* The Gift of Encouragement
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200304/20030409_encouragement.html
* Another Way to Win
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200009/20000912_waytowin.html
* Faith Web
http://www.faithwebblog.com/
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200903/20090329_compliment.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE POWER OF PRAYING TOGETHER, by Stormie Omartian & Jack Hayford
More than just a "how to" book, this book will help us to discover that
when we are willing to link our hearts with others before God, we open
ourselves up to a wider, more interactive world of prayer.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?252
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
HEARTLIGHT DAILY EMAIL /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/ \/
Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus music,
devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
ABOUT HEARTLIGHT:
Heartlight, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
Donations are welcome and tax-deductible! Find out how to help!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
EDITOR: Phil Ware, phil@heartlight.org
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-heartlight@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
heartlight-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
======================================================================
