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Category: Problems

Green Thumb

Green Thumb

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Green thumb-flower garden with American flagMy friend Carolyn’s husband has a green thumb.

Tim grows beautiful flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants. His flower garden amazes me. In the middle of his garden stands an American flag. The flag serves as a symbol of the freedom we celebrate each July 4.

My thumb is definitely not green.

Most of my plants get sick and die. Therefore, I grow flowers that require little or no care.

In spite of my lack of talent, I admire the beauty of other people’s plants.

  • I may not know the plants’ names.
  • I may not be able to grow them.
  • However, I can enjoy them.

I am thankful for people with a green thumb. I am also thankful I don’t need a green thumb to be used in other ways.

God gives each of us our own special talents.

Like Tim’s flowers, we are all different. Yet, we can all be beautiful in our own way.

  • Some people work well with numbers.
  • Others work well with people.
  • Some are great planners.

Whatever our talents, green thumb or not, let’s bloom where we are planted.

“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:11 NIV).

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Off Base

Off Base

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Off Base, little boy T-ball player with one foot on a baseRyder knows not to move his foot off base. If he does, a baseball player on the other team can tag him out.

In baseball, we never want to get off base.

We also:

  • Need to run fast from one base to the next.
  • Must touch all the bases to score a run.
  • Fail to score a run if we get tagged by the baseball between bases.

In life, we don’t want to get caught off base either.

If we are off base, we are wrong. If someone says we are way off base, they mean we are really wrong. We have made a big mistake.

For example, I am off base if I:

  • Believe I will never suffer when I make bad choices
  • Want good pay for poor work
  • Expect people to like me when I treat them badly

The bad news:

We all get off base from time to time.

The good news:

We can get back in the game and try again.

How do we get back on base?

I have been off base playing ball. I have been off base in life. I have learned hard but good lessons from both.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19 NIV).

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

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Thanks to Karen Atwood for the photo.

The Other Side of the Coin

The Other Side of the Coin

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The Other Side of the CoinI’m not always right.

I wish I were, but I’m not. Therefore, I need to look at life from other points of view. I need to consider ideas other than my own — the other side of the coin.

By looking at the other side of the coin, I give myself the opportunity to grow. I may learn I was wrong. If not, I strengthen my original belief. I gain from either of those possibilities.

We don’t have to agree with others to remain friends.

Rather, we learn to disagree agreeably. My husband and I share many of the same values and beliefs. We also disagree on several issues. We have learned to accept that reality. Occasionally we begin a sentence with, “I know you’re going to disagree with this, but …”

I wonder:

  • How many wars could have been prevented by looking at the other side’s opinions?
  • How many couples could have avoided divorce by focusing on one another’s feelings?
  • How many friendships could have been preserved by listening more than talking?

Not everything in life revolves around us and our outlook.

Let’s not be hardheaded. Rather, let’s check out the other side of the coin. In the process we:

  • Stretch our minds.
  • Enrich our resources,
  • Share one another’s burdens and joys, whether we agree or not.

When we look at the other side of the coin, we gain another viewpoint. We choose whether to accept or reject that viewpoint. Let’s use wisdom as we choose.

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Proverbs 1:5 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Throw in the Towel

Throw in the Towel

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Throw in the Towel--two women at a Relay for Life eventThese cancer survivor friends refuse to throw in the towel. Life knocked them down, but they got up again. They did not quit.

Throw in the towel comes from boxing. I don’t like boxing. Yet, many expressions we use come from that sport.

When someone throws a towel into the boxing ring, that team admits defeat. To avoid further pain, they give up. They don’t want the boxer hurt any more. Because the boxer is caught between a rock and a hard place, hard choices must be made.

We may decide to throw in the towel when we:

  • Can go no further
  • Have no hope
  • Need to focus on something else

However, sometimes we throw in the towel too soon. We:

  • Give up before we try everything
  • Rely on our own strength rather than God’s
  • Need to take a break and then try again.

If we do our best, we should feel no shame when we must throw in the towel. We just don’t want to throw it in too soon.

“Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie and Karen for the photo and life example. Thanks to Emily Akin for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Handwriting on the Wall

Handwriting on the Wall

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Handwriting on the Wall - Emily AkinPlease welcome my friend Emily Akin as today’s guest writer. Emily and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. She continues to be one of my greatest sources for writing information. Emily lives in northwest Tennessee with her husband of 47 years and their Jack Russell terrier, Jeb.

Handwriting-on-the-Wall“I should have seen the handwriting on the wall,” she said. “Company profits were down. I saw my friends being laid off month after month. I knew my turn was coming.”

What does it mean — seeing the handwriting on the wall?

The expression comes from the Bible story of Belshazzar’s Feast in the book of Daniel. Many Jewish people were in exile in Babylon during Belshazzar’s reign. At a court feast, Belshazzar served wine in gold and silver goblets. He had taken the goblets from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Later, a hand with no body appeared. It wrote terrifying words on the wall. Daniel, a Jewish exile who had become a court advisor, was called. He interpreted the writing.

This is what was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin. “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. (Daniel 5:25-28, 30-31, NIV).

Someone who has seen the handwriting on the wall may have

  • Had warning that disaster was coming.
  • Been doing something that he/she knew was wrong.
  • Realized a certain situation would not end well.

We sometimes continue in denial even when we have seen warning signs of

  • Job loss (company had been cutting employees for months).
  • Health problems (hereditary or lifestyle choices).
  • Personal problems (relationship with God or other people).

When we follow God’s rules for living and seek His guidance, we can learn to interpret the handwriting on the wall for ourselves.

“Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.” (Psalm 119:66, NIV).

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

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Tie Ourselves in Knots

Tie Ourselves in Knots

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Tie Ourselves in KnotsWe can easily tie ourselves in knots. I don’t mean with ropes, but with how we react to circumstances. We cause ourselves to suffer with:

  • Worry
  • Nervousness
  • Confusion

We can make ourselves sick. When our stomach ties in knots, we experience pain or cramping. The cause may be physical. Often it is emotional.

  • Fear
  • Impatience
  • Uncertainty
  • Anxiety

 Other people can tie us in knots when they:

  • Expect too much
  • Hurt us or try to hurt us
  • Ignore us
  • Lie or gossip about us

So, how do we stop tying ourselves in knots or letting others tie us in knots? Don’t borrow trouble. Remember worry does no good. It changes nothing except how we feel. Instead, let go and let God. As we learn from The Serenity Prayer:

  • Change what we can change.
  • Accept what we can’t change.
  • Learn the difference.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25 NIV).

How do you keep from tying yourself in knots? Please comment.

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Photo courtesy of morgueFile.

Burn the Candle at Both Ends

Burn the Candle at Both Ends

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We never want to burn the candle at both ends. Yet, sometimes we do.

Years ago, people needed candles for light. If they burned a candle at both ends, the candle could not stand. If they placed a candle flat to burn both ends:

  • The candle soon burned out.
  • People wasted much-needed light.

When we burn the candle at both ends, we get too busy. We work or play hard from early morning to late at night. We keep a full plate. We fail to get the rest and sleep we need.

Like candles burning at both ends, we wear out and waste our lives. We:

  • Lose energy.
  • Ruin our health.
  • Become unable to do what we want or need to do.

I admit I sometimes burn the candle at both ends. I have so much I want to do or believe I need to do. Yet, if I try to do too much, I can’t do anything well.

How about you? Are you tempted to burn the candle at both ends? If so, please comment how you handle it.

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you” (3 John 2 NIV).

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Thanks to Emily Akin for the suggestion.

Photo courtesy of morgueFile.

A Dog’s Life

A Dog’s Life

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A Dog's LifeMany dogs, like Tina, never have to live a dog’s life. Their owners spoil them. They receive all they need and most of what they want.

  • Attention
  • Love
  • Rest
  • Food and shelter
  • Toys and more

In contrast, when we say we lead a dog’s life, we mean we have a terrible life.

  • We receive little or no attention.
  • No one cares.
  • We work too hard.
  • Our needs and wants are unmet.
  • We never have any fun.

Occasionally we may live a dog’s life. Most often, we have an easier life than we think. World news reminds us just how good our life is. Many people suffer because of:

  • War
  • Religious persecution
  • Abuse and neglect
  • Weather-related tragedies
  • Murder and other crimes

The list of suffering seems endless.

If we have food, shelter, and someone to love, we are blessed beyond measure. Our cups run over.

“You, Lord, preserve both people and animals” (Psalm 36:6 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Holland for the expression and Shirley Cheatham for the photo.

 Do you have a dog’s life example? If so, please comment.

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Swamped

Swamped

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SwampedSwamps cover several parts of our world. Our lives often get swamped as well.

My bucket list includes a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp.  I want to do the swamp island drive to see:

  • Birds and alligators
  • Plants and moss-covered trees
  • Water, grasses, and other forms of wildlife

Most swamp land has too much water to farm. It has too little water for many water sports. A person who tries to walk through a swamp can easily sink or get stuck.

Although I like to see swamps, I do not want my life to get swamped. It has been in the past. I hope to avoid it in the future.

When swamped, I have too much to do and too little time to do it. As a result, I sink under all that work. I get stuck and have a hard time doing anything. I feel snowed under.

We escape swamp land and swamped lives the same way: one step at a time. We choose the best direction to go. Then, carefully and slowly, we work our way out.

“May the Lord be praised! Day after day He bears our burdens; God is our salvation.” (Psalm 68:19 HCSB).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Photo courtesy of morgueFile.

Pick Up the Pieces

Pick Up the Pieces

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Pick Up the Pieces-Judy ClarkWhen we break a dish, we pick up the pieces. Occasionally we glue those pieces back together. The dish may not be as good as new, but it works.

Sometimes we must pick up the pieces of our lives. We return to normal or a new normal after a bad experience. We try to make a difficult situation okay. We may have:

  • Broken hearts
  • Broken bodies
  • Broken minds
  • A broken world

Yet, we decide to make the best of our trouble. We pick up the pieces, pull ourselves together, and move on. We may not be as good as new, but we still work.

Easter is all about picking up the pieces. However, we don’t have to pick up the pieces ourselves. Jesus did that for us when He:

  • Lived a sinless life to pay for our sins.
  • Died on the cross to give us eternal life.
  • Rose from the grave in victory over sin and death.

When we give Jesus control of our lives, we receive more than a return to normal. Jesus makes us new — better than ever. Like a potter forming a new creation, He gives us a fresh start.

  • We become God’s child.
  • God’s Spirit gives guidance and support.
  • We gain a home in heaven. There we never have to pick up the pieces again.

“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8 NIV).

Thanks to Judy Clark for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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