This is Pay a Compliment Day.

What a switch! Yesterday we discussed disasters, and today we look at the bright side.

And that’s exactly what a compliment is—looking for something positive in someone else and then telling him or her about it.

Mark Twain said, “I can live a month on one good compliment.” Phrases like, “That’s a nice shirt,” “Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” “I really enjoyed your solo,” and “Your are such a good friend!” are music to our ears—they seem to brighten even a cloudy, rainy day. We feel affirmed and encouraged.

Compliments are easy to give, and they don’t cost anything. You have to wonder why we don’t give more of them.

The Bible passage for today introduces us to a great compliment-giver, a man named Joseph. In fact, he was such a positive person that he was given the nickname Barnabas, which means “Encourager.” Read more about him in the New Testament, and you’ll discover that his encouragement was very important to the Apostle Paul after he became a follower of Christ. So Barnabas’s nickname says a lot about the kind of person he was. It’s sure better than being called “Grouchy,” “Gloomy,” or something similar.

If people who know you best were to give you a nickname based on your attitude, outlook, and actions, what do you think they would choose? Make the switch—be an encourager.

For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus (Acts 4:36).

To Do

In the next 24 hours, compliment five different people (such as family members, friends, or teachers). Be sincere and specific.

Also on this day . . .

1895—Baseball great Babe Ruth was born.

1911—Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40^th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, IL.

1911—The first old-age home for pioneers opened in Prescott, AZ.

1935—The game Monopoly first went on sale.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.