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Under Your Wing

Under Your Wing

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Under Your Wing, hen with chicks under wingsWhen a storm approaches, a mother hen gathers her baby chicks under her wing. She wants to keep them safe.

If you take people under your wing, you care for them.

You batten down the hatches during life’s storms by:

  • Protecting them
  • Loving them
  • Meeting their needs

Taking someone under your wing may require little or much time.

  • Older students tutor younger students.
  • Bosses guide new workers.
  • Friends take care of a sick friend.
  • Neighbors offer a place to stay when another neighbor loses her home.
  • Relatives rear a child when its parents die.

Look for opportunities to care for a hurting world.

  • Show love in all you do.
  • Help the hopeless see light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Give financial help to people going through hard times.
  • Show respect to everyone, whether you agree with them or not.
  • Treat people the way you want to be treated.
  • Don’t get mad as a wet hen when you don’t get your way.
  • Ask God to guide you in all you do and say.

“[God] will cover you with His feathers;
you will take refuge under His wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield” (Psalm 91:4 HCSB).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion and to Pam Barnes Harlow for the photo.

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Wait for the Next Shoe to Drop

Wait for the Next Shoe to Drop

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Wait for the Next Shoe to Drop--shoe hanging beside bedWhen we sleep in a room with thin walls, we don’t want noisy neighbors. If those neighbors live in the room above us, we often wait for the next shoe to drop.

To wait for the next shoe to drop means to wait for the next event to happen.

A noisy neighbor drops one shoe. We know the next shoe will soon follow.

Because of what has already happened, we predict what will happen next.

This expression usually means we wait for something bad to happen.

We receive bad news. We expect worse news soon.

  • A family member gets sick. We fear our loved one will die.
  • Our boss fires other workers. We expect to lose our job soon.
  • A rainstorm damages our property. We dread flooding that may follow.

What do we do when the next shoe drops?

Hard times may cause us to:

The reaction we choose changes our lives. It also changes the lives of others around us.

“Stop being afraid of what you are about to suffer … Remain faithful even when facing death and I will give you the crown of life—an unending, glorious future” (Revelation 2:10).

Thanks to Ann Klotz for the suggestion.

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A Little Better than Plumb

A Little Better than Plumb

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A Little Better than Plumb--Henry and Janice Holt Giles cabinIf anything is plumb, it is perfectly straight.

It is exact. Therefore, a little better than plumb is not really better. Instead, it is:

  • Off plumb
  • Out of plumb
  • Not straight

Kentucky authors Henry and Janice Holt Giles wrote about building their cabin in the book A Little Better than Plumb: The Biography of a House.

One worker asked another if what they just nailed was plumb. The reply: “Sure was. Fact is … hit was jist a little bit better’n plumb ….” The Giles’ discovered that several parts of their cabin were a little better than plumb.

Read more about the Giles family and their cabin in the September 2019 Kentucky Monthly magazine.

A Little Better than Plumb -- plumb lineA plumb line helps measure whether anything is straight or plumb.

A metal weight (plumb bob) at the end of a line holds the line straight. It may be low tech, but it works.

Our lives often get off plumb or out of plumb.

We leave the straight and narrow and end up in hot water. Yet, God offers us a fresh start.

If we accept that fresh start, God expects us, like plumb lines, to show others the perfect way.

“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line” (Isaiah 28:17 NIV).

Thanks to Jeri Stone for the suggestion and to Iva and Jewel Wade for the plumb line photo.

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Out of the Woods

Out of the Woods

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Out of the Woods--path through treesA few years ago, my husband was in the hospital, not expected to live. The next day a doctor said he was much better but not out of the woods yet. He meant my husband still had to fight for his life.

Out of the woods means safe and secure.

A person no longer faces immediate danger.

  • The worst trouble has passed.
  • Known and unknown threats are over.
  • The greatest danger is gone.
  • Circumstances are no longer critical,

Like exiting a dangerous forest, a person out of the woods feels relief.

The escape frees the person to:

  • Relax
  • Enjoy better circumstances
  • Give thanks for improvement

In addition to health issues, out of the woods applies to:

  • Finances
  • Relationships
  • Work

Whether in the woods or out, everyone chooses how to react.

Life gets hard. People get hurt. When that happens, they decide whether to:

Why not make the best of a bad situation? This life will soon pass. Let go and let God make the most of it.

My husband did make it out of the woods and left the hospital a few days later.

“Even the trees of the woods—the fir trees and cedars of Lebanon—sing out this joyous song: ‘Your power is broken; no one will bother us now; at last we have peace’” (Isaiah 14:8 TLB).

Thanks to Ann Knowles for the suggestion.

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I Swan

I Swan

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I Swan--Uncle Lowell and three dogs

My Uncle Lowell, like many in our family, loved to use idioms and slang. He often expressed surprise with, “I swan.” He occasionally changed that to:

  • “I’ll swan.”
  • “I swanny.”
  • “Well, I swan.”
  • “I declare.”

All meant the same.

Uncle Lowell’s “I swan” meant something happened he did not expect.

He may or may not have known it also meant the same as “I swear.”

Like most of us, Uncle Lowell preferred pleasant surprises:

  • News of a new grandchild
  • Gifts out of the blue
  • Contact from an old friend

Unfortunately, he also received unpleasant surprises:

  • Deaths of friends or family members
  • Bad accidents
  • Weather related crop losses

However, Uncle Lowell was a tough cookie.

He often laughed through his troubles by:

  • Telling tall tales
  • Playing jokes on anyone around him
  • Giving children funny nicknames

Singing also helped him through hard times. I can still hear his deep bass remind us to have a little talk with Jesus.

If Uncle Lowell knew about this post, I have a feeling he would respond, “Well, I swan. Who ever heard of such a thing?”

“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18 NIV).

Did you have family members like my Uncle Lowell? Please comment below.

Thanks to Stacey Marcum and Gail Gosser for the suggestion. Special thanks to Stacey for the photo.

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The Proof Is in the Pudding

The Proof Is in the Pudding

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The proof is in the pudding--bowl of vanilla pudding with raspberriesPudding, or any other food, may look good. It may smell good. Other people may say it tastes good. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

The proof is in the pudding comes from the above longer and older expression, according to The Phrase Finder.

We know anything is good when it works as it should.

Does it fulfill its purpose? To find out, we:

  • Taste food
  • Turn on a computer
  • Drive a car

We test it. If it works, we use it. If it does not work, we get something else.

The proof is in the pudding applies to our work as well.

We don’t know if we have succeeded until we check the final results. Then we know if what we did worked as it should.

We may think we have failed when time will show we succeeded.

  • Our pudding may not be beautiful, but it tastes great.
  • We may think children never listen until they thank us years later.
  • What seemed a failure may lead to a better plan.

We will never know the final results of all our efforts in this life.

Therefore, we should never give up.

When we get discouraged, we:

  • Keep working.
  • Do what God called us to do.
  • Let our light shine.
  • Leave the results in God’s hands.
  • Pray that our work will make a difference long after we are gone.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:21 NIV).

Thanks to Allen T. Booth, Jr. for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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A Lick and a Promise

A Lick and a Promise

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A Lick and a Promise--dog licking boy's faceLike Kaleb’s puppy, too many times, I have cleaned with a lick and a promise. What about you?

When we give something a lick and a promise, we do our work quickly and poorly.

We don’t take the time to do it right. This can apply to:

  • House work
  • Personal cleaning (Children often prefer a lick and a promise rather than a full bath.)
  • Jobs
  • School work

The lick is the fast work. The promise is to do better later.

A Lick and a Promise--two dogsSometimes we have to give a lick and a promise.

We have no choice. That can happen when we:

  • Don’t have time to do a job well
  • Get swamped with more work than one person can do
  • Become ill and need to rest

We can’t control everything. That’s life.

We may also choose to meet more important needs.

A lick and a promise then becomes the better plan. We focus on:

  • Children who hurt rather than housework
  • Friends in need rather than lawn care
  • A neighbor in the hospital rather than a perfect meal

When possible, we want to be Johnny on the spot and do our work well. However, when greater needs arise, we choose to tackle what matters most.

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV).

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion and to Trevor Gosser with Gosser Farms for the photos.

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Can of Worms

Can of Worms

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Can of Worms--a box of baitWhen we open a can of worms, we find a tangled mess.

Worms wrap around one another. They look and feel gross.

Many in my family enjoy fishing. They use worms as their bait. However, before they can fish, they must untangle the worms.

A can of worms means a problem.

We begin a difficult process. Often complicated, it may cause:

  • Hard times for the people involved
  • Unexpected or bad results
  • Trouble we cannot correct

It can become a real mess.

Often, we prefer to ignore the situation than to deal with it. We want to turn a blind eye.

Some situations are better left alone.

To talk about them or act on them may:

  • Hurt people for no good reason
  • Cause worse problems than before

Other situations need to be solved.

We want to nip them in the bud. However, making a wrong situation right is often hard. We may:

  • Feel uncomfortable with a new way of life
  • Lose power we enjoy
  • Have to change hurtful or abusive behavior
  • Deal with other related problems

At times, we may feel in over our heads. Yet, the sooner we tackle a problem, the sooner we solve it.

Will we do what needs to be done, even if it makes life hard?

“I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can. Lord, don’t let me make a mess of things” (Psalm 119: 31 TLB).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.

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Cut the Mustard

Cut the Mustard

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Cut the Mustard-mustard flowerYears ago, Ernest Tubb and Red Foley sang “Too Old to Cut the Mustard.” They gave people a good laugh about aging. You can read the song lyrics here.

Young people often think senior adults are as old as the hills or over the hill. However, many older people still cut the mustard. Many young people cannot. Age does not always make a difference.

Cut the mustard means to work well.    

 People do what needs to be done. They do what is:

  • Expected
  • Required

They:

  • Work with energy and enthusiasm
  • Successfully accomplish their task

Cut the mustard applies to things as well as people.

People want what they use to:

  • Work well
  • Keep working

However, like people, things do not always work as they should.

  • Computers crash.
  • Cars run out of gas.
  • Stoves fail to cook.

Several guesses about how this expression began include the:

  • Hard work required to cut mustard plants
  • Difficulty in cutting tiny mustard seeds
  • Need to cut (dilute) mustard with vinegar to create a good taste

Others ideas have nothing to do with mustard.

However the expression began, it reminds everyone to do their best. Each day offers the opportunity to:

“[The righteous] will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92:14 NIV).

Thanks to Emily Akin for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay. 

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Over the Top

Over the Top

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Over the Top--winding stairway at Biltmore EstatesTo get to the top floor of a house, we usually climb stairs. To go over the top of the house requires more work – extreme efforts. Most of us would be foolish to try.

Over the top often means to go beyond acceptable behavior.

 We describe such actions as:

  • Extreme
  • Reckless
  • Strange
  • Shameful
  • Foolish

Over the top occasionally means brave behavior.

Some soldiers in battle go over the top of their trenches. They leave safety to attack their enemy. That action puts them at greater risk for losing their lives.

Yet, those soldiers:

  • Value the battle’s purpose more than personal safety
  • Go beyond the call of duty
  • Take the risk for a greater cause

They are willing to die for what they believe. Because of such bravery, we celebrate our country’s independence on the Fourth of July.

Let’s choose our behavior carefully.

When we need to be careful, stay wise as an owl. However, when we need to be brave, go over the top.

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him” (Psalm 37:23 NIV).

Thanks to Karen Atwood for the suggestion.

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