Compliments

Have you ever given a compliment that you didn’t mean? I know I have! Lots of them!

“Oh! I love those shoes!” or “Your hair looks so good!”

I tend to only give them to strangers or people I try really hard to find something good about… so not my close friends! I’d [politely] tell them if I disliked something ;)

But really, I think we’ve all given those. So who is to say that when I receive I compliment it’s true? I don’t know if it’s true. Because I guarantee you, the woman with the ugly holiday sweater loves her ugly holiday sweater and doesn’t know it’s an ugly holiday sweater (hint hint: don’t wear ugly holiday sweaters!). And on the flip side of that, if I receive a compliment from a friend or family member of course they’re going to say that… they’re my friend/family!

For instance: here’s a real conversation between me & my friends (whom you’ve met)

From: Emily
Subject: RE: Operation Beautiful

Tami, are you going to continue with the word meaning thing?

Beautiful has always been my favorite word. If you could describe me in anyway, beautiful would be the biggest compliment. To me, it’s more than just outward beauty… and the outward part of it is more of an elegance. In fact, in high school (cause we know I love naming hypothetical babies) I always wanted to name my daughter something that meant “beautiful.” My fave was Kennice, kinda weird, but I liked K’s back then.

From: Tami
Subject: RE: Operation Beautiful

And Emily, our very dear friend, you are so very beautiful.

From: Emily
Subject: RE: Operation Beautiful

HAHA, that compliment doesn’t count.

From: Lindsay
Subject: RE: Operation Beautiful

Why wouldn’t Tami’s compliment count?

From: Emily
Subject: RE: Operation Beautiful

Because I just said beautiful would be the biggest compliment. you can’t give that compliment after just saying that!

From: Lindsay
Subject: RE: Operation Beautiful

But we tell you that all the time and you don’t really accept it anyway!

And it DOES count b/c she meant it…so there!!

I don’t know what it’s going to take for me not to believe that everyone’s throwing out empty compliments.

But I am reminded of this verse:
Titus 1:15 (New King James Version)
¹⁵ To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. – I’m the defiled in this case because I’ve thought bad things about people so I need to purify myself of those things and focus on everyone’s beauty.

P.S. Check out operationbeautiful.com it’s a site with people posting notes saying something to the effect of “you are a beautiful woman.” It’s really neat.