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Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

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Don't Toot Your Own Horn--“His Own” brass quintet
His Own Brass Quintet

We want children to develop good self-esteem. At the same time, we don’t want them to boast—to toot their own horn.. Finding the right balance between the two takes work.

Children naturally desire attention. That’s okay up to a point. However, they should not seek recognition every time they do well. They need to share attention just like they need to share toys.

Telling children (or anyone), “Don’t toot your own horn,” or “Don’t blow your own trumpet,” means they should not praise themselves. In other words, don’t brag.

No one wants to hear their endless boasting:

  • “I’m the fastest.”
  • “I’m the smartest.”
  • “I’m the prettiest.”
  • “I’m the best.”

If those statements are true, let people see it for themselves. If untrue, bragging only makes them look sad or silly.

We hurt children if we allow them to grow up with an inflated sense of their importance. Instead, let’s teach them that we all have strengths, and we all have needs. By supporting one another instead of focusing on ourselves, everyone wins.

“Don’t praise yourself; let others do it!” (Proverbs 27:2 TLB).

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Off the Beaten Path

Off the Beaten Path

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Off the Beaten PathIf you have an opportunity, watch cattle. Few stray off the beaten path.

They line up, single file, and walk the same path every day. The grass on that path becomes beaten down and dies.

That seems funny, because most cows have an entire field to explore. However, think about our own behavior.

  • Notice families on vacation.
  • Check interstates that lead to well-known tourist attractions.
  • Compare restaurant chains to little-known cafes.

Cars line up like cattle, one after the other, all with the same destination.

I challenge you to go off the beaten path.

  • Skip the crowded beaches, amusement parks, and restaurants.
  • Learn to read a map instead of depending on another person or devices’s directions.
  • Choose an out-of-the-way place to visit.

Tiny crooked roads led to some of our family’s greatest adventures.

  • We crossed mountains, crept down dirt roads, and explored small towns.
  • We traveled miles without a sign of civilization.
  • We discovered one-of-a-kind festivals and art shows.
  • We drove a highway many consider the most scenic in America.

All these we found by looking on a map and saying, “That looks interesting.”

We enjoy the well-worn, high traffic areas too. Yet, nothing compares to the little known jewels we found off the beaten path.

Look for those scenic, relaxing places away from the crowds. While you’re at it, seek spiritual refreshment found only in moments alone with God.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).

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A Hard Row to Hoe

A Hard Row to Hoe

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A Hard Row to Hoe 2A long line of plants can be a hard row to hoe.

Gazing from one end to the other, we want to give up before we start.

My parents always believed in the value of hard work. Therefore, my sister and I began gardening at an early age. I thought those garden rows would never end. Plus, Kentucky summer temperatures often reach the 90s with humidity near 100 percent.

I recall standing in the hot sun, fuming at the cruelty of it all. I pledged that once I had a home of my own, I would never plant a garden. Famous last words!

After a few years, I realized vegetables taste better when I grow my own. Not even a farmer’s market can compete.

I also learned that if I focus on the plant of the moment, I reach the end faster. It keeps me from looking ahead with dread.

That holds true for most tasks.

Focus on what needs to be done now.

Then move to the next task. Any assignment becomes more manageable and less intimidating. With steady pacing, we soon complete our work. We can then enjoy the fruit of our labor, whether it is a:

  • Fresh ear of corn
  • Good test grade
  • Clean house
  • Completed work detail

Remember: When facing any difficult task, any hard row to hoe, don’t try to tackle everything at once. Take one step at a time.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

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Don’t Get Too Big for Your Britches

Don’t Get Too Big for Your Britches

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Don't Get Too Big for Your Britches 3Don’t get too big for your britches has nothing to do with our height, weight, or the size of our pants. Rather, it warns us against having too much pride. Similar expressions tell us not to put on a high hat or act high and mighty.

When life goes well, we should certainly enjoy it. However, we don’t want to grow arrogant over our good fortune. Circumstances can quickly change.

Let’s maintain balance in our lives.

  • Celebrate success, but give credit to those who helped us succeed.
  • Enjoy financial gain but share that wealth with those in need.
  • Seek the occupation of our dreams but express appreciation for the work of others.
  • Strive for self-improvement but never at anyone else’s expense.

We all put our britches on one leg at a time.

No one deserves to be viewed as less worthy than anyone else. Likewise, no one deserves to be viewed as more worthy than others.   Let’s treat everyone with the same respect we desire.

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 NET).

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Graveyard Dead

Graveyard Dead

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Graveyard DeadDead is dead.

Graveyard dead emphasizes that fact. Someone or something died with no hope of revival and must be buried. The phrase can be used for the death of:

  • An idea
  • A business proposal
  • Animals
  • People

The redundant description clearly means:

  • No effort will help.
  • No hope exists.
  • We must say good-bye.

But is that all?

If we have no hope, why have the word?

  • One idea or proposal may not work, but we can always try another.
  • The loss of an animal doesn’t remove the good it gave.
  • Jesus promised this short life is not the end.

Claim the message of Easter. Live it every day. Hope endures!

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11 NIV).

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Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

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Don't Put All Your Eggs in One BasketAlthough not found in the Bible, egg hunts have become a common Easter tradition. Close to Easter seems a good time to remember we don’t put all our eggs in one basket.

As children find Easter eggs, they usually place them in brightly-colored baskets. Too many eggs make a basket overflow. Extra weight from the eggs can make a fragile basket break.

Using more than one basket, if needed, reduces the risk of losing or breaking their eggs.

Neither should we put all our eggs in one basket.

We don’t want to limit our resources to one possibility.

For a greater chance of success, we must diversify.

  • Invest money in more than one company.
  • Study more than one subject.
  • Learn more than one skill.
  • Apply to more than one school.
  • Develop more than one hobby.
  • Plan more than one vacation route.

We want to keep our options open.

If one goal fails, we have an alternative.

If our dream becomes a nightmare, we can follow a different dream.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:11 NIV).

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You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

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You Can't Judge a Book by Its CoverHave you ever wanted to throw a book in disgust? The title promised the help you needed. The cover picture looked perfect. Reviewers praised it. However, it was worthless to you. The difference in appearance and content prove you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Looking good does not equal goodness.

That’s true for books and true for life.

Businesses use misleading ads. Politicians make campaign promises they fail to keep. Much around us sounds or looks good … until we try them.

Good looking people who dress well get more job interviews. They also get more dates. They don’t always make the best employees or spouses.

Smooth, shiny hybrid apples look perfect. They don’t taste nearly as good as ugly, knotty vintage apples. The hybrid pleases the eye. The vintage gains our loyalty.

Like vintage apples, what looks bad on the outside may hide a treasure inside.

We find pearls in oysters. We find gold and silver in rocks. Don’t overlook possible treasures based simply on outward appearances.

Let’s look beyond the surface to find what matters most in life.

“People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NET).

Note: I found all the books in this photo true to their cover.

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A Blessing in Disguise

A Blessing in Disguise

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Courtesy of Trevor Gosser
Courtesy of Trevor Gosser

This little guy loves cows. He’s also one of my favorite examples of a blessing in disguise.

His birth was premature and difficult. For days we didn’t know if he or his mother would live. None of our family wants to relive that experience. Yet from it, we gained countless blessings, including:

  • Closer relationships
  • Increased faith
  • Generous support from friends and strangers
  • A greater appreciation for every day

As Laura Story’s song, Blessings, reminds us, our hardest times may be blessings in disguise. Have you experienced any of the following?

  • You’re fired from a job but hired for a better one.
  • A boyfriend (or girlfriend) dumps you; then you find the love of your life.
  • You receive a bad grade or job review, so you improve your study or work habits.
  • An injury forces you to take a much needed rest.
  • You lose internet service and rediscover the joy of talking.

Whenever anything bad happens, look closely. You may find a blessing in disguise.

“I will make them and the area around My hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season—showers of blessing” (Ezekiel 34:26 HCSB).

What is your greatest blessing in disguise? Please comment below.

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Fall Apart at the Seams

Fall Apart at the Seams

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Fall Apart at the SeamsI’m a firm believer in recycling and reusing.

I want to protect the environment, and I hate waste. I try not to throw anything away. Plus, I hate to shop.

As a result, I wear clothes until they fall apart at the seams.

If the rest of the garment is okay, I stitch those seams back together and keep wearing it.

Don’t you wish all of life could be so easy?

Don’t you wish we could quickly stitch our lives back together when they fall apart at the seams? However, that’s not reality.

  • Technology changes faster than our brains can process.
  • Tragedy strikes suddenly and unmercifully.
  • Lifetime relationships shred over trivia.
  • Responsibilities grow, but time doesn’t.
  • Conflicting beliefs confuse us.

Without help, we can fall apart at the seams mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So what do we do?

“He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!” (Hebrews 1:3 MSG)

What helps you when you’re falling apart at the seams?

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Stand Tall

Stand Tall

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Stand TallThe Redwood Forests of northern California never cease to amaze me. Standing at the base of the world’s tallest trees, people appear small and insignificant.

Like soldiers with their shoulders back and heads high, the redwoods stand tall and brave.

Their pasts include attacks from animals, weather, and people. Like all of nature, they face an unknown future. Yet they stand tall.

So can we.

Regardless of our size or struggles. God created each of us for a special purpose.

Therefore, we can stand tall, not in our own strength but in God’s strength.

Each redwood began as a tiny seed.

Each had an uphill battle to survive. Life can’t be easy for them. Yet, facing hardships makes them stronger.

Likewise, standing tall and courageous does not mean we never have problems or we’re never afraid. It does mean we:

  • Face our fears and grow stronger.
  • Learn from our struggles and grow wiser.
  • Accept our limits and grow humble.
  • Support one another and grow closer.

Whatever comes our way, we can stand tall, knowing, with God’s help, we never stand alone.

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm” (Exodus 14:13 NIV).

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