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SAY SOMETHING NICE BY DR. STAN BLEVINS Pastor and educator Stan Blevins shares a secret for happy living. Not just for us, but for those around us as well. The pastor of a local church was speaking with a man well up in years. The fellow had enjoyed, not only a long life, but a long and happy marriage. His pastor asked the secret to the lasting relationship the man and his wife shared. In response, the old gentleman told this story. He was reared in an orphanage and never dated until a wonderful girl "swept him off his feet." He persuaded her to marry him, and gained the blessing of her father. On their wedding day, his soon-to-be father-in-law gave the man a gift. He promised the gift held, if he followed its advice, everything he would need to make his marriage a wonderful and joyful blessing. When the man opened the small box, he was startled to see a beautiful gold watch. Picking it up carefully, he saw that some words were etched upon the face of the watch. He read them reverently. They simply said, "Say something nice to Sarah." The elderly man finished his story by saying, "Sure enough, Pastor, that is just what I did, and that is the secret to my long life and happy marriage." Good story. Good advice. Everyone wants to hear "something nice." Encouragement. Praise. Compliments. Assurance. Expressions of love. The Scripture tells us Jesus "went about doing good." I feel pretty sure our Lord also practiced "saying something nice." Every Christian should do the same - to their spouse, their children, their family members - to any and all. The world hears enough that is "not nice." Let us, you and I, be a person who is always heard "saying something nice." |
