NEEDED PRAISE

Proverbs 12:17-28

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.

Ken’s friends invited him to their home for dinner. The food was superb—except for the apple pie. It just didn’t measure up to the rest of the meal. Even so, Ken went out of his way to find some good things to say about it. When he visited the home again, the hostess topped off the meal with a cherry pie that was absolutely delicious. But Ken didn’t say one word about it. The hostess finally blurted out, "The last time you were here, I served a pie that I was ashamed of, yet you were very complementary. Tonight I’ve given you what I think is the best pie I’ve ever made, and you haven’t said a word." Ken smiled and replied, "The cherry pie tonight was fantastic, and that the apple pie you served last time was not as good as this one. But the first one needed the praise!"

Our relationship with people is like that—some need more encouragement than others. We should never say that something is good when it’s really bad. Yet no matter how imperfect a person may seem, we can almost always find something commendable to praise.

Discouraged people surround us. But with a little imagination, we can find creative ways to give them the encouragement they need.

It was only a kind word, and a word that was lightly spoken, yet not in vain, for it stilled the pain of a heart that was nearly broken.