Purpose to Praise
My youngest son-in-law’s birthday was this
week, and I find that birthday cards are the perfect opportunity and venue to
genuinely compliment and praise a beloved family member. As I was writing out his birthday note, I was
trying in words to express my appreciation for his life and his many contributions
to our family circle. It occurred to me was it only once this year, at the mailing
of the birthday card, when I had complimented and praised him?
While in the midst of wondering, I was reminded
of a devotion that I recently read that pointed out two kinds of praise, both
of which are very important. One is unplanned and unintentional, and the
other is calculated and deliberate. One
involves the pouring out of true feelings by writing on both sides and the back
of a card you are sending, and the other is just being thoughtful enough to send
a card. Both have their place!
Praise that is unplanned and unintentional can
lead to spontaneity, which is wonderful and exciting! A funny card signed and sent often fits the
bill suitably. But this is usually just a quick response
to something and not typically a full disclosure of how deeply feelings run.
I find that a card such as this mirrors
what often occurs in my daily life. I am
openly grateful and pleased with the loved ones around me, but do
they REALLY know what they mean to me? (No,
I am not advocating that I should go around, clutch people by their shoulders,
turn their head with my fingertips, look them dead in the eye, and share with
them a dissertation of their special place in my heart and life. I am sure that, as a result of an encounter
such as this, they all would no longer be part of my daily life at
all. Rather they might be a flash
before my eyes, dashing to escape the crazed lady reaching for their shoulders.)
J
But on the other hand, is a compliment in
passing or a half-hearted, hurried hug really conveying adequate praise to
those that I care about? Yes, these may
show my feelings and may be warm and fuzzy gestures, but these acts alone are
not enough. Adequate time should be taken
or invested in letting these people know how special they are to me.
As we approach the Thanksgiving and
Christmas seasons, don’t be pulled into or crushed under the pressure of the
giving of gifts to express your admiration for someone young or old. Let your praise and appreciation be
calculated and deliberate and delivered to them by you. Maybe over coffee, maybe over a shopping cart,
maybe over a 3 year old’s coloring book, maybe over a 12 year old’s board game,
or maybe over a 80 year old’s crocheted
scarf…let them hear you say what you admire them for. Don’t
let it be in passing, after a winning game, after a sweet service, or even
after a gift exchange. Don’t let it be after
anything at all. Let it be when there is
no reason, only that you have thought about it carefully and purposed to say
it. Isn't that what calculated and
deliberate really means?
Maybe during the upcoming weeks, we should also
be willing to offer deliberate praise to the One that means the most to us. And
yes, it is coming up on His birthday. Let’s
also remember to express our praise for what He is to us--not with a card, but
with our heartfelt love and obedience!
Blessings, Mimi (AKA Anne)
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