Day 17 Devotional

There’s a social experiment video on social media in which a teenage girl, armed with her camcorder, went around her school and said to her classmates, both male and female, “I think you’re beautiful, and I just wanted to tell you so.”

She recorded their reactions, and it was jaw-dropping to watch every student’s facial expression change almost instantaneously after receiving a compliment. Some responded, “Me? Really?” Others said, “You really think I’m beautiful?” A few chuckled awkwardly and cracked a joke. Most simply beamed and answered sincerely, “Thank you!” Their peer had made their day with one flattering compliment.

The video acts as a reminder that humans not only love to feel encouraged and supported but that they genuinely need to hear positive statements about themselves to thrive or even function. It feels good to be surrounded by people you trust, and what you put out into the world is often what you get back, kind of like a boomerang. There’s a great saying: “Your vibe attracts your tribe.” A good tribe builds you up, and you do the same in return. That’s precisely why God tells us to be in community with one another.

God was at the helm of that teenage girl’s social experiment, hitting the record button on the video camera, capturing those precious moments of human kindness and goodness that both serve and soothe the soul. The next time you’re thinking something nice about someone, tell them! I promise you will make their day, and you’ll feel pretty great, too.