A Compliment Guy


“The Compliment Guys” is what they are called. It came from a story in American Profile magazine (www.americanprofile.com). The story concerns two young men who are students at Purdue University. They have begun taking Wednesday afternoons, positioning themselves at a conspicuous spot on campus, and passing out cheery compliments. “I just wanted to go out and do something nice for people,” explains Brett Westcott, who came up with the idea. He has been joined by Cameron Brown, who says, “I’d noticed a lot of people were down and sad around campus with the economy so down. A lot of my friends were graduating without jobs, so I wanted to go out there and give them something to smile about.”.

I genuinely commend these two and wish their tribe to increase.

Mark Twain said, “I can live on a good compliment for six months.”

About three years ago our Adults Pastor began a ministry called “Kindness Evangelism.” Part of the kindness was to share words of encouragement. That is the essence of a compliment: words of encouragement that refresh the spirit.

Did you know that you can become a compliment giver? Listen to these words from Cameron Brown, “Giving a compliment is pretty easy, really. We say things like, ‘Great coat. Cool headphones. I dig your goatee. Very nice bicycle.’ If someone is eating an apple, we’ll compliment them for having a nutritious snack. If they’re drinking from a water bottle, we give them a thumbs-up for staying hydrated. Everybody has something to compliment. Everybody has something good in them. It just takes a second to find it.”

Joseph was one of the two first missionaries sent out by the church. He is forever known as “son of encouragement” (or Barnabas, Acts 4:36). It was not an accident that the Holy Spirit instructed the church to set aside Barnabas and Saul to become the first missionaries (Acts 13:1-4). Saul, who would later become known as the apostle Paul, would become a writer of New Testament epistles and the object of hateful rejection. He would need lots of encouragement – compliments if you will, and Barnabas would be just the guy to supply it! Someone you know and love could use a compliment today. Go ahead and give it!

Did you ever pause to meditate on the teachings from James 3:9? In speaking of the use of our tongue, this epistle makes the point that we can use it to praise or curse. Wouldn’t you rather use your tongue to praise? Words of encouragement can breathe new life into a person, and words of criticism can deflate a person’s sense of well-being. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” states Proverbs 18:21. Compliments don’t cost you anything to give. But the rewards you receive are great. I suggest you make a practice of finding one good thing about everyone you meet today – and then tell them.

Now answer this question: would you rather be around a person who encourages or a person who criticizes? What makes you think anyone else is different? Be an encourager – pass out a compliment. You will discover that strangers will become friends and friends will be loyal.

Become a compliment guy!