Peace Archives - Page 14 of 27

Beat Your Head against a Wall

May 28, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

If you beat your head against a wall, you try to do something that looks hopeless.

You may also say you:

Bang your head against a wall
Bang your head against a brick wall

However you say it, the expression means you waste your time.

You beat your head against a wall when you try again and again with no success.

Few people beat their head against a real wall. However, some do. Unless you want a terrible headache, don’t try it.

Beat your head against a wall means you feel frustrated.

You may want to:

Reach a goal that appears impossible
Help someone who refuses your help
Stop a bad habit you keep repeating

You cannot figure out what to do. As a result, you get down in the dumps.

Although frustrated, you don’t want to give up too soon.

You may reach your goal if you try one more time.
The person you want to help may succeed with one more chance.
You will never break that bad habit unless you keep trying.

With one more try, you may begin to see daylight.

Sometimes you turn your frustrations into beauty.

What can a farmer do with rocks in his field?

He can beat his head against a wall because of all the rocks.
Or he can build a fence that becomes a work of art.

Occasionally you do need to give up.

You decide to spend your time more wisely. Therefore, you:

Do what you can.
Accept what you cannot.
Make the best use of the time you have.

“Why bother even trying to do anything with you when you just keep to your bullheaded ways? You keep beating your heads against brick walls. (Isaiah 1:5 MSG).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment.

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Tangled Web

May 7, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Tangled Web--spider web “O what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!”

Those lines from Sir Walter Scott’s poem, “Marmion,” remain as true today as they were in 1808.

When we deceive others, life becomes difficult for them and for us.

They learn not to trust anything we say.
We must remember all the lies we told, so we can keep our stories straight.
Both of us become tied in knots.

A tangled web gets ugly.

Although we enjoy the beauty of a spider web, we do not enjoy getting tangled (trapped or twisted) in it. Flies and small bugs trapped in a web often become a spider’s dinner.

A tangled web confuses us.

We have a hard time getting out of the problems we cause. Like flies in a spider web, every way we move seems to tangle us worse. We cannot figure out what to do.

Although hard, we can escape our tangled mess.

Come clean. Life gets better when we tell the truth. The truth prevents a tangled web. The truth also leads us out of any web we weave.

When we follow God’s truth, we find our way to real freedom.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Thanks to Mary Lou Rafferty for the photo.

Fit to be Tied

April 23, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Fit to be tied-rope tied into a heart shape Most of us have occasional fit-to-be-tied moments. We become:

Angry
Upset
Excited

We fly off the handle.

When fit to be tied, we get out of control.

Our emotions grow so great, we need someone to calm us down. No one actually ties us. However, they do try to:

Prevent anything we will regret
Keep us from hurting ourselves or someone else

We may grow fit to be tied for selfish reasons.

When we don’t get our way
If our plans don’t work

We may also grow fit to be tied for unselfish reasons.

When someone abuses a child or older adult
If someone lies, steals, or hurts people in any other way

Little things often make us fit to be tied.

Some of us deal well with life’s big problems. Yet, we blow off steam when faced with small ones such as:

Slow traffic
Food spills on a clean floor
Noisy neighbors

God gave us emotions.

However, we want to use those emotions for good, not harm. How do we do that?

Recognize what upsets us.
Remember we can’t control everything.
Change what we can.
Ask for help when we need it.
Focus on what matters most.
Ask God to guide us and work through us.
Choose to love everyone, including those who make us fit to be tied.

“Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9 HCSB).

Thanks to Pat Stapp for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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In Hot Water

April 2, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

In Hot Water--Yellowstone geyser basin If I take a wrong step in Yellowstone National Park’s geyser basins, I end up in hot water. Other people have done that and did not live to talk about it.

I have been in hot water a few times in my life. I did not like it and don’t want to do it again.

If I am in hot water, I am in trouble.

I have done something wrong. My actions:

Make someone angry
Result in my punishment
Cause shame for me or those close to me
Put me in the doghouse

I would like to say I have never been in hot water.

However, I can’t.

Sometimes, I make mistakes I don’t mean to make.
Other times I make mistakes because I want my way instead of the right way.

I may end up in hot water if the rules are wrong.

If someone in authority says to do something morally wrong, I must choose.

Will I do what the person in authority says?
Or will I make the right choice and end up in hot water?

I hope I always make the right choice and follow the straight and narrow.

In every situation, I live with the results of the choice I make. I reap what I sow.

“The Lord shows his faithful followers the way they should live” (Psalm 25:12 NET).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Rise from the Ashes

March 26, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Fise from the Ashes-Mount St. Helens — Mount St. Helens, July 2011

On Sunday, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens blew.

Everything disappeared under the volcano’s ash and heat.

Trees
Plants
Houses
Animals
People

Yet, soon after, life began to rise from the ashes.

Plants grew. Animals returned. The land’s rebirth amazes all who see it.

Rise from the ashes comes from a myth about a bird.

The bird burns to death and then rises from the ashes.

However, the possibility of a fresh start is no myth. Anyone can begin again after hard times.

People must decide if they will rise from the ashes.

Will they refuse to allow a bad experience to keep them down? Or will they pick up the pieces of their life and keep going.

Sometimes people recover by themselves.

They heal from:

Illness
Job loss
Death of a loved one
Theft
Failure

Other times people recover as a group.

They heal from:

School shootings
War
Business failure
Floods
Fires
Tornados
Other man-made or natural disasters

With Jesus, anyone can rise from the ashes of sin and death.

When Jesus rose from the dead that first Easter morning, He defeated sin and death.

All who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord receive:

Forgiveness of sin
New life
An eternal home in heaven
Peace in all life’s storms

Not every problem disappears, but Jesus walks with believers through every problem.

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:6 NIV).

Have you had a rise from the ashes experience? If so, please comment.

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Pick-Me-Up

March 12, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

We all need an occasional pick-me-up.

A bad mood or little energy leaves us down in the dumps. We feel too tired to move.

We need something to give us:

A better mood
Extra energy
A good rest

Flowers give some of us a pick-me-up. A field or garden full of flowers helps us remember the beauty of God’s creation.

A snack sometimes works. Although many of us like chocolate, the effect of food does not last long (except around the middle of our bodies).

A vacation helps. Yet, we may have to wait months for time off work.

Some of the greatest pick-me-ups require little work.

When we run out of steam, we can:

Take a few minutes to slow down. (Read a good book. Take a nap.)
Go for a short walk (or a longer one, if time allows).
Give or receive a few kind words. (If no one gives us kind words, we can still give ours.)

Pick-me-up moments matter.

They often turn bad days into good ones. They help us see light at the end of the tunnel. Go ahead. Make someone’s day!

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had (Romans 15:5 NIV).

Thanks to J. T. Henderson for the suggestion.

What is your favorite pick-me-up? Please comment.

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My Get Up and Go Has Got Up and Went

March 5, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Some days I feel like my get up and go has got up and went.

(I know, English teachers – another expression with poor grammar.) My family said, “My get up and go got up and went.” I have also heard, “My get up and go has got up and gone.”

However I say it, I mean I have:

No energy
Little strength
No desire to do anything

I don’t want to:

Work
Play
Talk
Move

I have run out of steam and feel as old as the hills.

My get up and go has got up and went often refers to problems of old age.

We hear that in Pete Seeger’s fun song. It mentions the need for:

Glasses
False teeth
Hearing aids

Why not laugh and enjoy each day and each life stage?

I’m thankful my energy doesn’t disappear too often. Yet, I can be thankful for those times. They remind me to:

Slow down.
Rest.
Enjoy the moment.
Count my blessings.
Remember good times.
Stay quiet and peaceful.
Prepare for the days ahead.

Childhood, teen, young adult, middle age, or golden years, why not enjoy them all?

“God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going” (2 Corinthians 4:9).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Word to the Wise--Snow covered creek and field Let me give you a word to the wise: Don’t drive on slick roads. You don’t want to wreck your car or hurt someone. Another weather-related suggestion: Don’t skate on thin ice. Bad choices can put you under the weather.

A word to the wise is good advice – a word (or words) of wisdom.

A longer version says a word to the wise is sufficient. A wise person does not require a lot of words. A short explanation or hint is enough.

Sometimes a word to the wise tells you what to do.

Do:

Wash your hands often (especially during flu season).
Listen more than you talk. (God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.)
Think before you speak.
Obey the law. (Follow the straight and narrow.)

Other times it tells you what not to do.

It warns of danger.

Don’t:

Take silly chances (like skating on thin ice).
Go where you might get in trouble.
Stay angry.
Forget the importance of relationships.

“Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge” (Proverbs 22:17 HCSB).

Thanks to Cecelia Lester for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Begin to See Daylight

December 25, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Begin to See Daylight -- a sunrise If we get up early, we begin to see daylight as the sun rises. After a long night, daylight appears. We enjoy the promise of a new day.

Sometimes our lives feel like a long night.

We face problems with no end in sight.

We think we will never get out of school.
Our job never seems to end.
Goals appear too far away to reach.

We begin to see daylight when success seems possible.

Classes are almost over.
We near the end of our long task.
Our goals appear within reach.

We finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

We don’t see daylight when we look the wrong way.

If we fail to look outside, we never see the sun rise. If we always look on the bad side of everything, we never see the good. We remain down in the dumps.

As this New Year begins, we choose.

Will we focus on our problems and the dark side of life?
Or will we look up and begin to see daylight?
When we begin to see daylight, will we let our light shine?

“My God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28 NIV).

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

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Give Birth to Something

December 18, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Some people complain about problems. Others give birth to solutions.

They:

Try to make life better
Explore changes
Work to make those changes happen

Kate Thomas, a writing friend, gave birth to the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference in 1996. She knew Kentucky writers needed training and encouragement. Her conference offers help to writers every year.