"If You Can't Say Anything Nice..."

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in they sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Did your Mom ever tell you, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"?  Mine did!  Yet through the years I seem to have forgotten some of the important lessons my amazing mother taught me.  

This morning someone dear to me said something so amazingly sweet to me that it totally changed my day!  It got me to thinking about my words and how I say them and how they affect others.  Two weeks ago my girls and I started committing Psalm 19:14 to memory, it has worked wonders in our home!  When you constantly meditate on something positive like that scripture, it's hard to have a bad thought or to gossip or put someone down.  

While it is very important to encourage others with our words and keep our thoughts towards them positive, sometimes we are more careful with how we treat "others" that we forget that when we were commanded in Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another..." Paul means  all "anothers".  Yes, this means our husbands as well!!!  Our husbands deserve to be treated with the same respect that we show perfect strangers.  I have been guilty of being more respectful to strangers than I have to my husband!  Why is that?  We will never see that stranger again, but our husbands and kids are stuck with us!  What do you think?  Is "being stuck" with you a good thing?  Would you like to be stuck with you?  I've asked myself this question often and I try to make changes accordingly.  Some days I fail miserably and other days I think I've arrived!  

So go ahead think of something nice to say about your man... yeah, maybe he's been a jerk lately and doesn't deserve it... how deserving have you been lately?  "Two wrongs don't make a right!"  Ever think about how childish we behave with our husbands?  If it wasn't so true it'd almost be funny.  "He said his Mom's baked chicken is better than mine!  So I'm going to act all hurt and not speak to him for a few days, and he can forget sex!"  When what he really said was "man babe, my Mom has this baked chicken recipe that is awesome!"  See how we turn things around in our heads?  We're women we're good at manipulating words so we can have something to be upset about!  I've done it!  

For the most part guys say exactly what the mean, no underlying meaning, no hidden barbs.  So here's your homework for the day:  take your husbands words at face value (quit reading into his words for Pete's sake!!!), and say something nice.  Maybe he was a jerk, but we're no angel!  You will be amazed at the change in your relationship when you start saying nice things even when you don't feel like it.  So go ahead spit it out!  He really does look sexy in those jeans and that t-shirt... You may have to think hard but soon it'll be easy.  Once you retrain your brain to include your man into that "one another" that Paul speaks of, life just might have a few surprises for you!

Here's a new saying for you "if you can't think of something nice to say, don't say anything until you do!"