Problems Archives - Page 17 of 34

That’s Life

September 17, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

We can’t control everything in our lives.

Both good and bad happen.
We celebrate, and we mourn.
Everything can change in an instant.

That’s life.

This tree reminds me of life. All wrapped together, we see:

Healthy limbs
Dead limbs
Missing limbs
Injured limbs
Other plants pulling life from it

The poor tree, a victim of many storms, looks terrible. Yet, it stands. It:

Continues to grow
Refuses to fall
Still offers shade to everything and everyone under it

We can control parts of our lives.

Like this lovely old tree, we may have suffered much.

We probably caused part of our pain.
Others may have hurt us.
Life storms often leave us scarred.
We feel in over our heads.

That’s life.

In spite of our suffering, will we choose to stand? Will we:

Stand tall
Continue to grow
Refuse to fall
Still offer help to those around us

Will we pick up the pieces of our lives, give them to God, and keep going?

Life and death
Struggles and scars
Beauty and ugliness
All wrapped together
That’s life.

“[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV).

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Lock Horns--Elk fighting If you have seen elk or other animals lock horns, you know exactly what this expression means. Two animals fight one another. The fight often results in locked horns (or antlers).

A fight usually begins when the animals:

Face one another
Dig their feet in the dirt
Run toward each other
Hit their heads together

Two males often fight over a female.

If we lock horns with one another, we have conflict.

Our conflict may be:

Physical fights
Verbal arguments

Locking horns may also affect us:

Mentally
Emotionally
Spiritually

Conflict may arise over:

Money
Jobs
Relationships (romance, family, friends)
Silly disagreements

Sometimes we must lock horns.

We see wrongs that need to be made right. Our efforts may not be easy. Yet, we must figure out how to make necessary changes happen.

Usually, we want to avoid locking horns.

Much that we fight over is not worth the fight. We end up hurting others and ourselves. We get off on the wrong foot. Then we have to mend fences.

We can disagree without locking horns. That sounds like the better plan.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18 NIV).

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If the Shoe Fits, Wear It

September 3, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

If the shoe fits, wear it sounds like a shoe ad. However, we usually mean something much different:

If people say anything bad, but true, about us, admit it.

We may not like to hear it. Yet, if we complain, someone may say, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” In other words, if it applies, accept it. Face the music.

If the shoe fits, wear it may follow:

“He called me lazy.”
“She said I can’t cook.”
“The doctor said I need to exercise more.”

Perhaps we need to change shoes.

Just because a shoe fits, we don’t have to keep wearing it. We can choose other shoes.

If we have a bad habit, we don’t have to keep doing it. We can come clean. We can choose a different way to live.

Work harder, if we don’t want to be called lazy.
Take cooking lessons, if our food tastes bad.
Exercise more to get a better doctor’s report.

We may have our work cut out for us, but we can do it.

Choose the best shoes for the best fit.

“Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God” (Ephesians 6:15 TLB).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

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Johnny on the Spot

August 27, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

A Johnny on the spot helps anytime he is needed.

He remains:

Prepared
Willing to work

Every day he gets up ready to put his hand to the plow.

According to the NTC’s American Idioms Dictionary, a Johnny on the spot is “in the right place at the right time.”

Employers love such workers.

The workers:

Have the tools they need
Get to work on time
Do a good job

Johnny on the spot can refer to anyone of any age or position.

Whether men, women, boys, or girls, they decide to do their best at whatever they do.

Gardeners remain ready to garden.
Drivers remain ready to drive.
Students remain ready to study.

A Johnny on the spot teaches by example.

He helps keep everyone else on their toes:

Younger workers learn good work habits.
Older workers decide to work harder.
Bosses often learn as well.

Like the pictured flower garden, a Johnny on the spot bears good fruit. He also encourages others to do the same.

“Remind them … to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1 NKJV).

Thanks to Joyce Cordell for the suggestion

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Crocodile Tears

August 6, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Crocodile Tears--crocodile in a swamp We don’t want anyone to cry crocodile tears for us. Neither do we want to cry crocodile tears for anyone else.

Crocodile tears mean false tears.

We act sad about something, but we really don’t care.

Years ago people thought crocodiles cried either:

To trap their victims
Or as they ate their victims

However, any tears crocodiles shed are not tears of sorrow. You can read more about that here.

Examples of crocodile tears include:

Saying we are sorry someone lost a job we plan to take
Crying at the funeral of someone we never liked
Acting sad we hurt someone we meant to hurt

Rather than crocodile tears, may we honestly care for one another.

Love like Jesus loves.
Live like Jesus lives.
Give like Jesus gives.
Forgive like Jesus forgives.

May we be as good as our word (and our tears).

When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow (Romans 12:15 TLB).

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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Down in the Mouth

July 16, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

We all get down in the mouth sometimes.

Down in the mouth and down in the dumps mean almost the same. We feel:

Sad
Depressed
Hopeless

In the middle of smiling faces, we still feel bad.

We may be able to hide how we feel when we get down in the dumps.

Usually people know when we feel down in the mouth.

Happy faces disappear. Smiles turn upside down. We:

Frown
Cry
Have nothing good to say

Hard times often make us down in the mouth.

We have trouble with:

Relationships
Jobs
Health
Daily life
Bad news of any kind

We don’t have to stay down in the mouth.

Sure, life gets hard. We all have problems. However, good can come from the hardest times. God offers hope in both good times and bad.

Therefore, let’s remember to always:

Count our blessings
Learn from tough cookies who have gone through worse times than ours
Look to God for guidance

“My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you” (Psalm 42:6 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion and to Gosser Farms for the photo.

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Put Your Foot in Your Mouth

July 9, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Put Your Foot in Your Mouth--baby with foot in mouth Everyone smiles at a baby with its foot in its mouth. However, you don’t want to put your foot in your mouth as an adult.

I doubt most of you can physically get your foot to your mouth. Yet, most have probably had foot-in-your-mouth moments. You wish you had kept your mouth shut.

When you put your foot in your mouth you say something you regret.

Your words sound:

Silly
Mean
Insulting
Embarrassing

Once out of your mouth, you wish you could take those words back.

But you cannot. You end up in hot water.

Think before you speak.

Sometimes you need to bite your tongue instead of saying anything. Silence is golden more often than you realize.

Better to keep quiet than get off on the wrong foot.

“Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” (Proverbs 10:19 TLB).

Thanks to Karen Atwood for the photo.

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Mad as a Wet Hen

June 18, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

When we get mad as a wet hen, we get angry – very angry.

This seems like a strange expression, because most hens don’t mind getting wet. (Hen usually means a female chicken.)

We may not get mad often. Yet, most of us get mad as a wet hen or fit to be tied when people:

Hurt someone we love
Steal from us
Lie to us

Sometimes we get mad as a wet hen for no good reason. A little problem occurs, but we make a mountain out of a molehill. We usually regret that anger.

How do we act when we get mad as a wet hen?

We have several bad choices:

Fly off the handle and do something we regret
Scream like a baby
Destroy property
Hit something or someone

We also have several good choices:

Think before we act
Admit our anger
Learn how to express anger without hurting anyone
Use our anger to improve life for everyone, if possible

As with all emotions, we choose how we show anger.

May we always use it for good.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

Thanks to Pam Barnes Harlow for the photo.

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Senior Moment

June 4, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Senior Moment--child tying string around an adult's finger Ready to sing, I stood before the crowd in my aunt’s church. However, the first words out of my mouth were, “I forgot.” At three-years-old, I had a senior moment.

Actually, I had a bad case of stage fright. That fear made me pull my skirt to my mouth and forget the words of my song.

A senior moment means we forget something or make a silly mistake.

As senior (older) adults entering our golden years, we may:

Forget where we put our glasses and then find them on top of our head
File something in a safe place and forget where that safe place is
Fail to remember a good friend’s name
Tie a string around our finger to help us remember but forget why we tied the string

As we age, we forget more often.

We can get upset about those egg-on-our-face moments, or we can laugh.

Like the people at my aunt’s church, most of us laugh. However, we want to laugh with, not at, one another. Never make fun of someone with memory problems.

Any of us can have a senior moment.

In addition to age, we forget because of:

Fear
Too much on our minds
Excitement
Illness or medication
Accidents

From seniors in high school to senior adults, we forget. Why not accept that fact and enjoy every moment?

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion and to Karen Atwood for the photo.

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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).

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