Sweet Words Can Cause Decay

(Proverbs 29:5 KJV)  A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

What is the difference between a compliment and flattery?  I think that is an important distinction here.  It might be the honesty factor.  A complement has a genuine quality to it.  Every once in awhile I run into someone who will call me “young man.”  I am old enough that I know it is tongue in cheek but what if I were dressing like I was young and putting on a style that only fit youth.  In that case it would be flattery.  There might even be a bit of mocking in it.

When you praise someone and are not sincere it can come back to haunt you.  I remember one time when I was trying to be sensitive to someone’s feelings and praised a certain bit of cuisine they had prepared.  I locked myself in to eating that dish every time I was around them.  I was trapped.

So?  It is important to make our comments genuine.  I guess the other alternative is to say nothing but that is often impossible.