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Category: Peace

Knee High to a Grasshopper

Knee High to a Grasshopper

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Knee High to a GrasshopperMany of us love spending time with children who are knee high to a grasshopper. They are:

  • Small
  • Short
  • Still growing
  • So cute

We enjoy children’s smallness. Yet, we don’t like to feel small.

Most of us have moments we feel knee high to a grasshopper.

Because grasshoppers are so small, they appear unimportant. People pay little attention to them. Sometimes we feel unimportant. We think no one pays attention to us either. Other people appear:

  • Smarter
  • Better looking
  • More talented

We feel like low man on the totem pole.

We also feel small compared to the size of our world. How tiny we look compared to:

  • Mountains
  • Oceans
  • The sky

In addition, we feel small when we have done something wrong. We think we are:

  • Guilty
  • Worthless
  • Hopeless

Although small, both children and grasshoppers make a big difference.

 Children teach us to:

  • Have fun
  • Love
  • Trust
  • Learn

Grasshoppers destroy much we need or enjoy:

  • Gardens
  • Fields
  • Flowers

Regardless of our size, we all make a difference.

Therefore, what kind of difference will we make? Will we spread joy like children? Or will we destroy what we touch like grasshoppers?

God created our world and everything in it. Compared to God’s greatness, we all appear knee high to a grasshopper. Yet, God desires a personal relationship with each of us. How great is that?

“When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place, Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them?” (Psalm 8:3-4 NET)

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Poor as a Church Mouse

Poor as a Church Mouse

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Poor as a Church Mouse--mouse on a fenceIf we are poor as a church mouse, we are the poorest of the poor.

We own almost nothing.

Years ago, few churches had kitchens. Therefore, if a mouse lived in a church, it had little to eat. A child might drop crumbs from a snack. Yet, that would not last long. The poor mouse might starve.

We may have times poor as a church mouse. We may also have times rich as a king.

Our happiness does not depend on what we own.

We can be poor as church mice and happy. We make do.

We can also live high on the hog, and be unhappy.

Money matters little for true meaning in life.

We find real wealth in:

  • Peace in our souls
  • Purpose for living
  • Love for God and one another
  • Hope for the future
  • Joy for every day
  • Sharing what we have with those in need

We can’t take it with us when we die. So, why not put what we own to good use now?

“Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater” (Proverbs 28:6 TLB).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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Silence is Golden

Silence is Golden

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Silence is Golden: Miller Park As my dad used to say, sometimes we need “peace and quiet and very little of that.”

Silence is golden when we need quiet rather than noise.

Life gets too loud. Talk makes us tired. We need to get away. We need rest.

During those times, silence is worth more than silver or gold.

Often this occurs when we have been:

  • Too busy
  • Around too many people
  • Focused on electronics or other time thieves

Silence is also golden when we should keep our mouths shut.

We do need to speak up to correct wrongs. We don’t need to tell everything we know.

We make a bad situation worse when we say too much. Talking when we should stay quiet makes us look foolish. It often hurts other people. Better to bite our tongue than to be a busybody.

Therefore, take breaks from life’s noise.

  • Learn to practice quietness.
  • Think before speaking.

Find a peaceful place. Let its stillness wash the worries from your mind.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 NIV).

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Bear Our Cross

Bear Our Cross

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Bear Our Cross: a cross with crown of thornsTo bear our cross means to carry a burden.

Similar expressions include:

  • Carry our cross
  • Cross to bear
  • Cross to carry

All mean we live with difficulty. We often carry our burden alone.

Burdens or responsibilities may include:

  • Illness
  • Financial problems
  • Difficult relationships

We may sometimes joke about small burdens, such as:

  • Chores we don’t like (for example, cooking and cleaning)
  • Busybody neighbors
  • Active children

To bear our cross comes from the Bible.

Before Jesus was crucified, soldiers beat Him. Then Jesus had to carry His cross. When Jesus became too weak, soldiers forced another man to carry Jesus’ cross for Him.

Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He loves us that much.

Yet, after three days, Jesus rose from the dead. He won the battle against sin and death. If we accept Jesus as Savior, He forgives our sins and promises us eternal life. He gives us a fresh start. That is the promise of Easter.

Jesus told His followers to count the cost and take up our cross.

That means we:

  • Choose Jesus above everything.
  • Give God control of our lives.
  • Follow God’s will wherever that leads and whatever the cost.

Taking up our cross for Jesus is not always easy. It is always worth it.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

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

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Afraid of His Own Shadow

Afraid of His Own Shadow

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Afraid of His Own ShadowDo you know anyone afraid of his own shadow?  He:

  • Frightens easily
  • Is afraid of almost everything
  • Has a hard time trusting anyone and anything
  • Is usually shy
  • Avoids other people, especially crowds.

No one wants to be afraid of his own shadow.

Some people make fun of a person with fears. They may bully him, which makes his fears worse. Other people feel sorry for him.

A person afraid of his own shadow needs courage.

Like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz, he wants to be strong. He may try to hide his fear by acting brave.

Children often fear their shadow when they see it the first time. Yet, there is no real reason to fear. They simply need someone to help them understand their shadow and be brave.

There is no real reason for many fears.

Like children, an adult afraid of his own shadow needs help understanding the shadows that scare him. Some problems are real. Some are not.

When a person trusts God, God promises to be with him through both good and bad (scary) times. He can stand tall, unafraid, trusting God’s love and care.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

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

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On Your Toes

On Your Toes

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On Your Toes--ballerinaWhen you are on your toes, you are ready to act.

  • Like a dancer ready for a ballet performance
  • Or a runner who toes the mark before a race

 Other people may keep you on your toes.

  • Your boss trains you and reviews your work.
  • A child asks you hard questions.
  • Teachers prepare you for a test.
  • Friends and family offer advice about big decisions.

You may also keep yourself on your toes.

You stay alert to what interests you most.

  • If you enjoy cooking, you check the latest recipes.
  • If you like to read, you find books by your favorite authors.
  • If you want to stay in good physical condition, you exercise.

You plan and prepare for the future.

If you fail to stay on your toes, you may fall flat.

However, you don’t have to stay down when you fall. Instead, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going. Who knows what the future holds?

“Make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves” (Deuteronomy 4:9 MSG).

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

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Egg on My Face

Egg on My Face

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Egg on My Face--child eating, messy faceBrenna often had egg (and other food) on her face when she was smaller. Children get messy while they learn to eat.

Although no longer a child, I still get egg on my face. I did so at least three times recently.

  • Once I ate an egg too fast.
  • Twice I made silly mistakes.

When I get egg on my face, I embarrass myself.

I fail to do something right. Sometimes I make simple mistakes. They cause no big problems. Other times, my mistakes are more serious. I fall flat.

What should I do when I get egg on my face?

  • Laugh at the silly little things. Everyone makes mistakes.
  • Wipe the egg off and keep going. Don’t give up.
  • Pay more attention. Be careful so I don’t make more mistakes.
  • See it as an opportunity. Go back to the drawing board and learn to do better.

“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance” (Proverbs 28:13 TLB).

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 Darrin Jenkins for the photo.

Play with Fire

Play with Fire

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Play with Fire--child in fireman's outfitMatthew knows he should never play with fire. He does not want to get hurt. Neither does he want to hurt others.

Instead, Matthew may become a fireman when he grows up. Rather than play with fire, he hopes to prevent and put out fires.

No one should play with fire.

It is both dangerous and foolish. Most of us would never play with a physical fire. Yet, many of us play with fire in other ways. We take risks when we:

  • Choose bad relationships
  • Cheat
  • Disobey the law
  • Practice bad health habits

When we play with fire, we get burned.

 We may:

  • Hurt or lose those we love
  • Gain a bad reputation
  • Go to jail
  • Suffer poor health

Instead, let’s prevent or put out fires when we can.

Let’s watch our steps, make good choices, and help others do the same.

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27 NIV)

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

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Photo courtesy of Tammy Seyfried.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Out of the Mouth of Babes

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Out of the Mouth of Babes--Tracy Crump headshot

Please welcome my friend Tracy Crump as today’s guest writer. Tracy and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, where she frequently serves on staff. Tracy dispenses hope in her book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness. She has published 22 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and includes tips on writing for the series in her free e-newsletter, The Write Life. I highly recommend both the newsletter and book.

Out of the Mouth of Babes--streams of heavenWe can find wisdom in surprising places.

Even young children may teach us things. They often:

  • See things we don’t.
  • Look at the world in a different way.
  • Are very honest (sometimes more than we would like!).

Children’s fresh ideas may be just what we need.

One evening, my son and five-year-old granddaughter, Nellie, walked out the door. They looked up and saw beautiful thin clouds, lit with pink and orange, sweeping across the sky.

“Those are the streams of heaven,” Nellie told her daddy.

She knew what we often forget, that we can see God’s presence in the simple things.

  • A sunset
  • The touch of a friend
  • A baby’s smile

We can learn something from everyone we meet.

Don’t forget to listen to the words out of the mouth of babes.

“And [they] said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”?” (Matthew 21:16 NKJV)

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

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Cry Over Spilled Milk

Cry Over Spilled Milk

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Cry Over Spilled Milk--a glass of spilled milk“Dry your tears. There is no need to cry over spilled milk.”

As a child, I often heard those words. Sometimes I had spilled milk. Usually I was unhappy about something I could not change.

We cry over spilled milk when upset about what we cannot control. Often what upset us occurred in the past.

We cannot undo the past.

We cannot unspill milk. Neither can we undo anything that has already happened. The past is water under the bridge.

We can do something about the present and future.

  • If something bad happened in the past, we can learn from the experience.
  • If something good happened, we can remember and smile.
  • If we hurt someone, we can ask forgiveness.
  • If someone hurt us, we can forgive.

Instead of crying over spilled milk, we can let bygones be bygones. We can choose to grow from all that happens, good or bad.

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13 NIV).

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

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