Problems Archives - Page 18 of 34

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).

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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.

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Run with It

April 9, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Sometimes we get an idea and run with it.

We see a need or better way to do something, so we take care of it. Occasionally we say take the ball and run with it.

We run with it when we act on what we think should be done.

We don’t wait for someone else to:

Tell us what to do
Do it
Help us do it

Instead, we figure out what to do. Then we meet the need by ourselves and in our own way.

Other times we wait on an idea.

We wait for:

The right time
More information
Someone to show us or tell us what to do
Extra help

Without help, we can get in over our heads or run out of steam.

After we run with an idea alone, we may decide to ask for help.

A good idea often grows and needs more workers.

Whether we run with an idea on our own or work with others, we do well when we meet the needs around us.

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV).

Thanks to Judy Clark for the suggestion and Franklin Clark for the photo.

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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).

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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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Get Off on the Wrong Foot

March 19, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Get Off on the Wrong Foot, military parade Like people in a military parade, we do not want to get off on the wrong foot. We want to start right.

If we get off on the wrong foot, we do not start well.

Something goes wrong from the beginning. Bad starts happen in:

Work
Play
Relationships

Correcting a bad start can be difficult.

We must work hard to make it right. As John Wooden said, “If you do not have the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?” Giving our best from the beginning makes life easier for everyone.

Correcting a bad start is possible.

Often we get off on the wrong foot by mistake. We did not mean to do it. We must work harder to correct our mistake. Yet, we can do it.

If we never made mistakes, we would not need:

Erasers
Delete buttons
The words I’m sorry

We all get off on the wrong foot sometimes.

When that happens, we want to

Come clean. Admit what we did wrong.
Face the music. Do what we must to correct the mistake.
Make a fresh start. Start over.
Forgive others when they get off on the wrong foot.

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me” (Psalm 94:18 NIV).

Thanks to Pat Stapp for the suggestion.

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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.

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Fine as Frog’s Hair

February 26, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 17 comments

Please welcome my friend Carlton Hughes as today’s guest writer. Carlton and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Carlton, represented by Cyle Young of C.Y.L.E. Agency, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesdays and Sundays, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who enjoys classic sitcoms and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Focus on the Family, and numerous devotional books from Worthy Publishing, including The Wonders of Nature, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb, from Ellie Claire/Hachette Publishing. Carlton also enjoys dressing up as crazy characters and making videos for his children’s ministry. He once made actress Emilia Clarke laugh.

Fine as Frog's Hair -- tree frog I used to go to church with a man who introduced me to this phrase. Whenever I greeted him and asked how he was doing, he always answered the same way.

“Fine as frog’s hair!”

Frogs don’t have hair, but, if they did, it would be fine — thin, hard to see. This phrase is a play on the word “fine,” which can also mean “good.”

We often greet each other and give an automatic answer.

If you ask me how I am, I will answer, “fine” without even thinking.

I recently had the flu, and I definitely did not feel fine, frog hair or none. If someone had asked “How are you,” I could have honestly answered, “Horrible!”

As Christians, we need to be real with each other.

Putting on a fake smile and pretending everything is okay when we are hurting is not the way to go. The Bible encourages us to bear each other’s burdens. We don’t have to give a gloomy answer when someone asks about our condition. However, we should be honest with our Christian brothers and sisters if something is wrong.

“An honest answer is a sign of true friendship” (Proverbs 24:26 GNT).

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Strike While the Iron Is Hot

February 19, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Strike While the Iron Is Hot-making a horseshoe A blacksmith must strike while the iron is hot. When fire makes iron soft, the blacksmith hits it with his hammer. Only then can he shape it.

If he waits too long, the iron cools. It becomes too hard to shape. He must act quickly – when the time is right.

We must also strike while the iron is hot.

Like farmers who make hay while the sun shines, we act while we have the opportunity. If we wait, we may be too late.

Some tasks wait with no problem (dusting furniture). Others demand immediate attention (hungry children).

Some opportunities come only once. For example, we see people in need we will never see again. With those, we must act quickly.

Relationships matter most.

We often delay caring for people, especially those closest to us.

Family
Friends
Neighbors

We think we have plenty of time. Therefore, we never take the time to keep those relationships strong. As a result, we may lose them.

Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Better to build strong relationships now than have to mend fences later. Look for ways to:

Show love.
Help one another.
Spend time together.
Make good memories.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).

Thanks to Shirley Redding Rice for the suggestion.

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

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