It begins: “Once Upon A Time”….

Being a Newlywed takes on a different meaning in the context of the following story:

"A little known fact is that it (newlywed) was named after a handsome man named John Newly, a devout bachelor from Atlanta in the 1800’s. For a long time, he had quite a chasing of lovely ladies vying for his hand in matrimony. Years of chasing passed by like a barefoot race along a rocky trail, until one day, a beautiful young lady from Iowa in Atlanta for a Corset Convention, accidentally bumped into John on a hurried trip to the Powder Room. Capturing his heart, they were soon married at his Grandfather’s mansion and moved to Iowa to become a corn farmer. For years, the lovely ladies of Atlanta continued to look for John, often coming to the mansion to inquire of him. Grandpa would always simply reply, “Newly wed”.”

Stories like this one are often times hard to swallow due to their ambiguous nature and from an often “suspect” source. It got me to thinking about how much we take for granted in life. Occasionally, we will be talking to a friend or acquaintance and hear things that are questionable. Choosing to believe everything we hear labels us with gullible, while disbelieving sometimes labels us just the opposite. Perhaps the answer lies with having a trusting nature. People we are close to might be easier to believe than strangers with a gift of gab. But not always.

I write this because I have recently dealt with a friend who has chosen to sharpen his “gift of gab” and tell some whoppers that seem genuine and honest. I am somewhat known as a "skeptic" and tend to analyze a lot of things that I shouldn't. But I believe that one cannot be too careful. First Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.” Perhaps we should be better listeners.

The above story is certainly ambiguous because I made it up entirely. So remember…. some sources are certainly “questionable”!