All of us need feel needed and admired. But unless we hear words of praises from someone else, how can we know that we are valued friends or co-workers?
The effects of praise can be great indeed. A new minister called to a church jokingly referred to as “the refrigerator” decided against criticizing his congregation for its coolness toward strangers. Instead, he began welcoming visitors from the pulpit and telling his flock how friendly they were. Time after he held up a reputation to live up to. The congregation thawed. “Praise transformed the ice-cube members into warmhearted human beings,” he said.
Sincerity is essential in giving praise. It lends potency to a compliment.
Praise helps rub off the sharp edges of daily contact. Nowhere is this truer than in marriage. Yet it is perhaps in the home that the value of praise is less appreciated than elsewhere. The spouse who is alert to say the heartening thing at the right moment has learned one of the most important requirements for a happy family life.
Children, especially, are hungry for praise, reassurance and appreciation.
As artists find joy in giving beauty to others, so anyone who masters the art of praising will find that it blesses the giver as much as the receiver. There is truth in the saying. “Flowers leave part of the fragrance in the hand that bestows them.”