The Joy of Speaking Well of Others

Speaking well of someone is one of the few things that blesses you, them, and everyone listening at the same time. You may have sat in a meeting where a colleague did something excellent, you knew it, and the conversation moved on before anyone said so out loud.

C.H.E.W. with Me

New here? What is CHEW? — a 30-second practice that grows into a day woven with God’s love.

C – Clarity: The Compliment That Stays in Your Head

Most of us admire people more than we tell them. We notice the colleague who handled the hard client, the new hire who asked the sharp question, the direct report who quietly fixed the problem, and we file the thought and move to the next agenda item.

Part of the reason is that praise feels optional, even a little risky. It is easier to wait until the evidence is undeniable than to be the first voice in the room.

There is a better picture: a good word, spoken truthfully, as one of the quickest ways to build a team up, and as something that turns out to be a joy for the person who says it.

H – Hear: Barnabas Told Them the Whole Story

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:27)

Saul had just arrived in Jerusalem, and verse 26 says the disciples were all afraid of him. Into that standoff walks Barnabas, whose name means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36).

Two Greek words carry the scene. “Took him” is epilambanomai, to take hold of, the word Matthew uses when Jesus grasps Peter as he sinks (Matthew 14:31). “Declared” is diegesato, to narrate in full, to tell the whole story. Barnabas did not offer a vague compliment. He took Saul’s hand and told the apostles specifically what he had seen.

Look at who was blessed. Saul went in and out among the apostles, preaching boldly (verse 28). The apostles gained a brother they had feared. And when Barnabas later saw God’s grace at work in Antioch, Luke says “he was glad” (Acts 11:23). Luke sums up the season this way: the church “had peace and was being built up” (Acts 9:31).

Barnabas was echoing a love that spoke first. Before any apostle would take Saul’s hand, the Lord told a frightened Ananias, “he is a chosen instrument of mine” (Acts 9:15). God’s love speaks well of His people, and when we speak well of someone truthfully, we join Him in it. One accurate, spoken good word from Barnabas left Saul welcomed, the apostles gaining a brother, and Barnabas himself glad.

E – Exchange: From Silent Admiration to Spoken Blessing

What needs to be exchanged is the belief that praise is a cost, a risk, or a nicety saved for the annual review. The truth in Acts 9 is that God’s love speaks well of His people first, and a good word spoken truthfully carries that love further. It blesses the person who hears it said about them, the people who now see them differently, and you, because there is real gladness in being the one who says it. It has to be accurate: Barnabas reported only what he had actually seen.

Because God’s love is like a father who speaks well of his children, how does that change what I say about the people around me this week?

W – Walk: Say One Good Thing Out Loud Before Noon

Pick one person whose work you admire and one place where others can hear it: a team meeting, a message to their manager, or a note to them directly. Say one specific, true thing they did and what it made possible, in a sentence or two. Then notice the effect when you’ve said it.

Closing question: Whose good qualities have you noticed in those around you but never said out loud?