complimentary, my dear

Since I have stopped doing my 30 days, I have not really posted...except about Needtobreathe, whom I still love! You will likely hear more in the future, but for now, I will move on to a new topic.

Compliments. I am not always very good at receiving them. I am great at receiving them when I am expecting them...I think most women will relate to this scenario. The days when you wear an outfit you absolutely love and feel confident that you look amazing in. Those are the days when people say things like, "Wow! I love _____! Where did you get that?" I easily smile and say thanks in return, and somewhere deep down I know that I worked hard for that compliment. Haha...it's true, right?

Then there are the days where you manage to get out of the house...you may or may not feel great about the effort you made, and while you may have started out well, the day has brought you to a point where you feel like a "beast". (Someone I know used this term to describe how she sometimes feels...I think it fits.) It is in these moments where I am completely caught off guard by the nice words people have, and come up with a really lame response, because in this moment, I truly don't believe it is true about myself. I did this a while back with a friend who simply told me I looked really nice. I think I managed to say something like, "Yeah, this is just something I wore to work today..." I am not even sure I thanked him! Horrible! Not only is this insulting to myself because I don't believe it, but also to the giver for blowing off such a sweet compliment. These types of days are when we need to receive these compliments the MOST. In fact, sometimes the timing of them have made me want to cry.

The important part about a compliment, a real genuine one, is that we need to receive it graciously and with open arms. If we ward them off, the negative things take over, and it takes so much longer to overcome them! Plus, these friends who love us enough to bless us with their words may be hesitant to do so in the future if we cast down their attempts. (If the person I sadly blew off ever reads this, I am sorry!) This is a dare to those who fumble when given a compliment...for the next few weeks, even if you don't feel like it, look that person in the eyes, smile and say "thanks." Then let their words sink in. We need to be collectors of blessings. I am going to do this as well.