By James E. Kerns

 

Once upon a time there was a man who had a wife and a clock.  The man loved his wife, the wife loved her husband, and the man liked his clock.  They all lived together very happily.

The clock occupied a choice position on the wife's dresser in the bedroom.  The husband was fond of looking at his clock in the wee hours of the morning to check on the progress of the night.  But, alas, many of their other possessions competed for the choice, unoccupied position in front of the clock, which prevented him from seeing the time.

Each evening the husband got into bed, glanced at the clock to see at what time he was getting there, and then got out of bed to remove the stray articles that had positioned themselves in front of the clock.

One evening, just after completing this nightly ritual, the man's wife entered the room and placed something in front of the clock.  The man politely asked her to remove it.  The wife apologetically did so.

In the middle of the night, the man opened one eye to ask the clock if it was yet time for him to get up.  It was not, but the man had to get up anyway to remove the article that had managed to find its way in front of the clock while he slept.

In the morning as the man pondered upon the problem, he realized that there was an electrical outlet behind his own dresser, and another choice spot that the clock could occupy where it would not have to compete with their other possessions.

The man, therefore, moved the clock; and the man, his wife, and their clock continued to live together happily ever after.

 

Application:
Always we must ask ourselves this important question:
"Shall I make an issue, or move the clock?"