Do you stumble over how to accept a compliment? I received a compliment this month when I was listed as one of ten Women You Should Know in the May issue of our denominational magazine Foursquare Leadership.

That’s a HUGE compliment! I feel awkward, flustered, humbled, and honored. *grimace*

OK, so I’m learning how to accept a compliment gracefully. It isn’t easy.

It’s just a fact of life that most of us who serve Jesus have assumed that humility and compliments don’t play well together.

Yet that doesn’t make sense in God’s Kingdom culture. Jesus receives our praise and was known for his humility (see Matthew 11:29).

Here’s what I’m learning about how to accept a compliment:

1. Smile

Wipe the awkward, flustered grimace off your face. I know. It’s hard. But smile!

2. Don’t discount the compliment

Sounds simple, but many of us go into denial mode when receiving praise. God gave you the gifts and skills you possess, and to dismiss a compliment is to diminish God’s work in and through you.

3. Avoid the temptation to deflect the compliment

A compliment is something that helps define you to others. Avoid the temptation to appear modest by passing the credit for your skills on to another. Give credit where credit is due, but not at the expense of writing yourself out of the compliment.

4. Say “Thank you”

• “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
• “Thank you, that was a lovely thing to say.”
• “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”

So, you now have my permission to hold me accountable to graciously accept a compliment!

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Susan Gaddis, helping you build a spiritual legacy

“Jesus says to share” -Adelaide, age 3 Pass this along to everybody and their brother. Ok, maybe not everybody’s brother, but you know… all of your friends would be good.