Care for some honey?

“Your attitude of kindness and generosity, especially to your lola, is remarkable.”

“What a responsible and wise man you have become. I praise God for you.”

These are just two of the compliments I have dished out lately, yesterday and today, respectively, to be exact.  The first one, said to a friend who paid for his lola’s (grandma’s) birthday celebration even if the latter lives miles and miles away from where he is based now. The second, to a Sunday school class student who surprised me with his take-charge attitude.

If there’s one thing I’ve decided I won’t be stingy about in giving, it’s compliments or kind words. It doesn’t cost me a cent to give them out so why not, right? My only rule for myself is that I should mean the praise or compliment. Every word. I will not  say it just to earn good graces from the recipient. And as soon as I notice or learn about the noteworthy deed, I will immediately commend the person who has done it. No ifs, no buts. No overanalyzing if I’m being too saccharine or too whatever.  If it’s a crime to be overly sweet or kind to others, then let me rot in jail for it.

I, too, am a grateful recipient of kind words. I”ve become such a sucker for words that warm my heart that I am just stopping myself from making a logbook just so I could read these words over and over again, especially when I’m feeling down or insecure. Nothing perks me up than the power of gentle words aptly spoken. Nothing beats, of course, what God says about me, but hearing people say them out loud works for me too.

Now all I ask is please be patient with me if I haven’t said anything particularly uplifting to you lately. I’m still learning to do this, but hopefully learning well and quickly.  And hey, I hope you like honey.

²⁴ Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Proverbs 16:24 (New Living Translation)