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Boil the Ocean

Boil the Ocean

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Boil the Ocean - volcano lava above the oceanHow many times have we attempted an impossible task? We try to do something no one can do. Remember, we don’t have to boil the ocean.

Lava from an erupting volcano heats the ocean. However, all that lava affects only a tiny portion of the water. It puts on quite a show but with limits.

To boil the ocean means to try the impossible.

We work like a mule and burn our candle at both ends. However, like lava in the ocean, we have limits. We cannot do everything.

  • Students cannot complete years of work in one semester.
  • Builders cannot create a city in a day.
  • Doctors cannot cure every person in the world of every disease.

We make progress one step at a time.

Working together, we move forward. Trying to do everything alone dooms us to failure. Too many jobs make all our jobs more difficult.

We want vision without a waste of time.

Dream big. Reach for the sky. Yet, recognize reality. We never want to destroy ourselves striving for the impossible.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” (Isaiah 40:30 NIV).

Thanks to Kristy Robinson Horine for the suggestion. Image courtesy of Pixabay

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Confession Is Good for the Soul

Confession Is Good for the Soul

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Confession Is Good for the Soul- mother kneels to comfort a crying child“Tell me the truth. You will feel better if you do. Confession is good for the soul.”

How many times have children heard those or similar words? They do something wrong and get caught red-handed. The more they try to hide their wrong, the worse they feel. If they don’t tell the truth, they get in more trouble.

Of course, the same relates to adults. Trying to hide our mistakes or deliberate evil only makes a bad situation worse. We feel guilty. Our guilt makes us sick physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Confession is good for the soul declares great truth.

When we confess, we free ourselves from:

  • Guilt
  • Shame
  • Stress

We come clean. This applies whether we commit small or large misdeeds.

Confession is good for the soul pertains to all our relationships.

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Enemies
  • Strangers

The other person may or may not forgive us. We are not responsible for their reaction. However, we are responsible for our own.

We find this truth in the Bible.

The words vary, but the truth remains the same. Its greatest application is in our relationship with God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Patton for the suggestion and the photo.

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The Shoe Is on the Other Foot

The Shoe Is on the Other Foot

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The Shoe Is on the Other Foot--shoes on wrong feetIf we put the right shoe on the right foot, it feels fine. However, if we put it on the left foot, it hurts. We don’t like it when the shoe is on the other foot.

The shoe is on the other foot means circumstances are opposite what they were before.

We change roles.

  • Bosses becomes employees.
  • Teachers becomes students.
  • Bullies get bullied.

With roles reversed, troublemakers receive trouble.

If we held the power, we don’t like it when we become powerless. Like shoes on the wrong feet, the change hurts.

However, if we receive power, it usually feels good. We may be tempted to:

Whatever our role, we don’t want to get off on the wrong foot.

If we hold the power, we never want to act high and mighty. Instead, let’s use our power in a helpful way. If others hold power over us, let’s give a good days work for a good day’s pay. In either role, let’s treat one another with respect.

“Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.” (Proverbs 4:14 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion and to Laura Mitchell Wilds with Mitchell’s Clothing for the photo.

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Clean as a Whistle

Clean as a Whistle

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Clean as a Whistle-a referee's whistleMost of us like our houses clean as a whistle. Cleaning takes a lot of elbow grease, but everything looks good when we finish.

Clean as a whistle has more than one meaning.

It refers to things like houses or offices.

We try to keep them:

  • Neat
  • Dirt-free
  • Organized
  • Spotless

If we let things slide too long without cleaning, they require much more work.

In addition, it means all of anything or entirely.

We might:

  • Eat a cake – the whole thing
  • Complete a race – all of it
  • Finish the yard work – with nothing left to do


Clean as a whistle also refers to people.

If we are clean as a whistle, we:

We live as we should.

Clean as a whistle’s origin remains uncertain.

It many have come from an earlier simile, clear as a whistle. A whistle’s sound is fairly clear. Whatever the origin, clean as a whistle challenges us to live pure lives.

“All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1John 3:3 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion. Image by elbgau from Pixabay.

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Dillydally

Dillydally

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Dillydally-stop sign with a "wasting time" sign below itWhen we were children, adults occasionally warned us not to dillydally. This often happened when we failed to:

  • Do our chores
  • Finish our homework
  • Go to bed on time
  • Get up on time
  • Take a bath
  • Prepare for a special event

Dad often told us to rise and shine when we wanted to stay and sleep.

If we don’t want to do something, we dillydally.

We waste time. Similar words or expressions include:

  • Lollygag
  • Drag our feet
  • Goof off
  • Dawdle

Similar spellings include:

  • Dilly dally
  • Dilly-dally

All mean we do nothing or move slowly. We delay what we should do with less important activity.

We dillydally with actions that have no real purpose.

Rather than meaningful activity, we do something useless.

If we cannot decide, we may dillydally.

We put off doing anything, because we don’t know what to do. However, we can’t ride the fence forever. Eventually we must choose.

Perhaps we have several expressions for wasting time because we do it so often.

What do you think? Please comment.

“Don’t waste time along the way” (Luke 10:4 TLB).

Thanks to Kristy Robinson Horine for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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Idle Hands Are the Devil’s Tools

Idle Hands Are the Devil’s Tools

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Idle Hands Are the Devil's Tools-hands shaping potteryWe can use our hands for great good or great evil. Too much free time often leads us the wrong direction. Idle hands are the devil’s tools.

Idle hands are the devil’s tools has several similar proverbs.

They include:

  • Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
  • An idle brain (or mind) is the devil’s workshop.
  • Idle hands do the devil’s work.

All mean we are more likely to get into trouble when we have nothing to do.

Busy minds and hands leave little time for mischief.

We need free time and rest, but not too much.

Children (and adults) need time to use their imaginations. They also need to learn the value of work and helping others. Good habits learned early in life help us the rest of our lives.

Hands that create beautiful pieces of art can also destroy that beauty.

However, if we pick up the pieces of the messes we make, we can create something lovely again.

Give God your hands, the broken pieces of your life — all of you — and watch Him work.

“Let your hands not be idle” (Ecclesiastes 11:6 NIV)

Thanks to Judy Corbin for the suggestion. Thanks also to Judy Clark for finding the photo of Tommy Clark and to Richard Robards for permission to use it.

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Work Like a Mule

Work Like a Mule

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Work Like a Mule-two mules carrying packs down a mountainMany of us complain that we have to work like a mule. Our complaints increase if we:

  • Hate the job
  • Think the job has no purpose
  • Believe we should be doing something more important
  • Feel no one cares how hard we work
  • Think other people have an easier life

We work like a mule when we work hard for a long time.

Mules make good work animals because they:

  • Have tough, strong bodies
  • Are sure-footed — not likely to slide or stumble
  • Carry heavy weight with little trouble
  • Endure heat well

If we work like a borrowed mule, we work even harder.

Sadly, we may work a borrowed animal harder than one of our own. Since it costs us nothing, we care less. That should never be the case. Yet, it happens.

Whether we have to work like a mule (our own or borrowed) or have an easy job, let’s work to the best of our ability. Each day we put our hand to the plow, we make a difference for good or bad. When we do our best, we rest in the knowledge we give a good day’s work for a good day’s pay.

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance” (Revelation 2:2 NIV).

Have you heard similar expressions about other animals? Please comment.

Thanks to Stephanie Buis for the suggestion. Image by Simon Matzinger from Pixabay.

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Needle in a Haystack

Needle in a Haystack

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Needle in a Haystack--field of haystacksHave you tried to find a needle in a haystack? Believe me, it is not easy. I have never looked for a real needle in a stack of hay. However, I have hunted for several hard-to-locate items.

I have searched high and low and looked up one side and down the other for:

  • A black button in a pile of black clothing
  • A needle in a box of pins
  • A four-leaf clover in a three-leaf clover field

A needle in a haystack means anything hard to find.

A few items are almost impossible to locate. When mixed with other things that look about the same, I can spend hours hunting. Sometimes I succeed. Other times I fail.

Some needles are worth the effort. Others are not.

  • When I need a black button, I keep looking for it.
  • If I have to sew that button on a shirt, I keep looking for the needle.
  • Only when I have free time do I look for four-leaf clovers.

Opportunities to help others require little searching.

Needs exist everywhere.

  • News reports tell of recent events.
  • Churches use volunteers and offerings for local and world-wide ministry.
  • Crisis relief centers meet daily emergencies.

Search for and help with God’s work wherever you find it.

[There is] “a time to search and a time to give up.” (Ecclesiastes 3:6 NIV).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion. Image by Bronisław Dróżka from Pixabay.

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Throw a Monkey Wrench into It

Throw a Monkey Wrench into It

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Throw a Monkey Wrench into It--Ann H. GabhartPlease welcome one of my favorite authors, Ann H. Gabhart, as today’s guest writer. Ann has been called a storyteller. She’s lived up to the title with thirty-five books published and more stories on the way. Ann keeps her keyboard warm out on her farm where she likes walking with her dogs or discovering the wonders of nature with her nine grandchildren. To find out more about Ann and her books, go to www.annhgabhart.com.

Have you ever heard the expression “throw a monkey wrench into it?” That means to sabotage or frustrate a project or plan. The saying came from early 1900s industrial sabotage–that is, throwing a tool inside machinery–to make the machine break or stop working.

Throw a Monkey Wrench into It--two monkey wrenchesWhere various products were once made one at a time by craftsmen, the industrial revolution factories had machines to mass produce items. Companies started competing for customers. Some knocked out competition by sneaking in to throw an actual wrench into the workings of the competitor’s industrial machines. With the machine broken, production came to a halt.

Now throwing a wrench into something can apply to any kind of ruined plans or projects. The current pandemic has thrown a wrench into a lot of our plans. Sometimes we can do nothing to fix things. We simply have to move on, plan something new or adjust to whatever has happened.

One thing for sure, the Lord will never throw a monkey wrench into your plans unless He has a better plan in mind for you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash.

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Ups and Downs

Ups and Downs

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Ups and Downs--Grand Tetons behind the Snake RiverWe all have our ups and downs.

  • Good and bad times
  • Positive and negative relationships
  • Happy and sad days
  • Successes and failures

That’s life.

Like a hike up a mountain, our journey through life often feels like an uphill battle. However, once we reach the top, the view takes our breath away.

When we look down, we see how far we have come. A look around reveals the possibilities on every side of us. If we look up, we realize we have hope for future mountains.

We choose whether to focus on the good or the bad.

The choices we make determine how we feel.

When hard times hit, we can dwell on the negatives. Or, on the other side of the coin, we can focus on the positives and hope for the future.

Ups and downs occur in every area of life, including:

  • Marriage
  • Work
  • School
  • Parenting
  • Social activities
  • Health

All our experiences offer opportunities to grow.

Through each one, let’s keep on keeping on. Remember, like a mountain climb, our hardest times often teach the greatest lessons.

“He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights” (2 Samuel 22:34 NIV).

Thanks to Laura Lee Leathers for the suggestion.

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