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Icing on the Cake

Icing on the Cake

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Icing on the Cake Cake by itself tastes great. Most people think icing on the cake makes it better.

The rich gooey texture of icing (frosting) delights the taste buds in a way cake by itself cannot.

  • Who ever heard of a wedding cake without icing?
  • How can bakers create their works of art without icing?
  • What child does not enjoy playing with cake icing on his first birthday?
  • How many people steal a bite of cake and then cover the hole with icing?

Cake is dessert. Icing is dessert with attitude!

Icing on the cake means extra has been added.

  • Extra flavor on a cake
  • More help than expected for someone in need
  • Out of the blue surprises that make any day great

Why not put icing on the cake for someone today?

Make their day better by going the second mile. Perform a random act of kindness.

  • Instead of the usual tip for good service, double it.
  • When buying a movie ticket, purchase one for the next person in line.
  • After completing a job, help co-workers complete theirs.
  • When preparing a meal, cook extra for busy neighbors.

Everyone appreciates smiles and ordinary good will. Why not do more? Do the unexpected. Add a little icing on the cake. People who receive those surprising acts of kindness love it. So do the people who give them.

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you” (1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV).

How have you experienced icing on the cake? Please comment below.

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Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

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Penny Wise and Pound Foolish--a peeny, a pence, and a pound
A Penny, a Pence, and a Pound

Penny wise and pound foolish describes people who spend carefully on small items but waste money on larger expenses.

A person needs several US pennies (or British pence) to equal one British pound.

Several years ago, someone showed me all her bargains from a clearance sale. She proudly told me each item’s price. Near the end, she began saying, “I don’t know what this is, but it cost only …” Most amounts were less than a dollar. However, her total cost was large.

I remember wondering, Just what will she do with all these mystery objects? They’re not bargains if she has no use for them.

She was penny wise and pound foolish.

People might be penny wise and pound foolish if they:

  • Attempt their own home repairs but require an expert to repair their repairs.
  • Clip grocery coupons and then eat at an outrageously expensive restaurant.
  • Drive several miles to save a few cents per gallon on gasoline.
  • Neglect regular medical care that results in permanent disability.
  • Buy sale items on credit but pay the minimum on their credit card bill.

Don’t we often do the same with our life decisions?

We make the easy choices or do what looks good at the moment. Yet we fail to consider the long-term consequences.

Easy or cheap does not equal good or wise.

Let’s make smart choices in all our investments—financial, educational, occupational, social, emotional, and spiritual.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” Ephesians 5:15 (NIV).

Do you have a favorite expression or one you want explained? If so, please comment.

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For Good Measure

For Good Measure

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For Good Measure--grocery scales above fruitMany of us prefer shopping at neighborhood stores and farmers markets. The product quality is only a small part of what makes them special. These merchants usually add extra to our purchase for good measure.

For good measure means more than a fair amount.

Such merchants believe giving extra is the right thing to do.If they lose a little money, that’s okay with them.

  • They value every customer.
  • We always receive fair treatment.

We like to buy from people we trust.

Even if their prices are higher than other stores, we still go there. They are our friends and neighbors. We go to the same activities and attend the same schools and churches.

However, they also give strangers more than necessary for good measure. Such kindness makes a difference in many lives.

Why not follow their example?

Let’s give more for good measure – more

  • Smiles
  • Encouragement
  • Financial help
  • Time
  • Attention to what matters most in life

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38 NIV)

Do you have a favorite expression or one you want explained? If so, please comment.

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A Dime a Dozen

A Dime a Dozen

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A Dime a DozenWhen we want to describe something common or easy to find, a dime a dozen says it well.

A dime a dozen often implies a lack of worth.

A dime won’t buy much. Occasionally we buy cheap toys we know will break easily. Yet we think, If they break, we can just throw them away.

How often do we treat people as worthless?

  • How do we view those with little money?
  • When someone makes a mistake, do we help them or give up on them?
  • How do we act around those different from us?
  • Do we look down on those who fail to meet our standards?
  • How many have we labeled hopeless and undeserving of our time and effort?

Sadly, many people accept this judgment.

After years of mistreatment, they give up. They stop seeking a better life. They believe they deserve the way we treat them.

How dare we do that to another human being!

A broken toy can be thrown away. A broken person needs our love and concern.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NIV).

Do you have a favorite expression or one you want explained? If so, please comment.

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