Left handed compliments

Have you ever received a left handed compliment? Sure you have. Most of them are unintentional - we don't mean to give a little dig while we share something positive about someone.

For instance, someone comes up to you and says, "I love you hair, how long have you been dying it?" A left handed compliment.

Or, "I loved that song you sang, I've never heard it sung quite that way before."
A left handed compliment.

Or, "thanks for reading this blog, it's shows that you have too much time on your hands."

One of my favorite stories that a friend of my tells is the time when a woman in our church came up to him (he was the associate pastor) and said, "I usually don't get anything out of your sermons - but that one was okay." A Left handed compliment.

I received one this week from one of the kids of our church. I loved it. Every time I share this with friends, it causes me to laugh and to realize once again the old axiom: WE MUST NEVER TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY.

She sent me a thank you card today that read:

"Dear Pastor Flattery,

Thank you so much for all the great ministries you do. Your stories never get old even when you tell them over and over again.

Sincerely...."

That cracks me up. I love it. God bless her.

She has now become one of my favorite people.