Problems Archives - Page 27 of 35

Hand-Me-Down

February 29, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Hand Me Down How many of you have worn a hand-me-down? Or lots of hand-me-downs? If you are the youngest or smallest child in your family, you may know what I mean.

You get to wear clothes or shoes someone else outgrew or no longer uses.

Sometimes that’s okay. The clothes look new or you like them.
Other times it’s not okay. They look old or awful.

Buying fewer clothes means more money for other needs or wants. Some families share hand-me-downs, because the families have little or no money. Dolly Parton sings about her first coat no one else had worn in “Coat of Many Colors.” Her mother made that coat from rags, a perfect example of making do.

As one of the smallest people in my extended family, I continue to wear hand-me-downs. I hate to shop. The more hand-me-downs I get, the less shopping I have to do. That sounds like a good plan to me.

Whether a person wears hand-me-downs or new clothes matters little. Far more important is whether we clothe ourselves with love, kindness, and truth.

“If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:8 NIV).

Thanks to Karen Grimes for her picture of Taylor and Makenzie’s hand-me-down moment.

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On Thin Ice

February 16, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

We have to be careful during Kentucky winters. We often find ourselves on thin ice and must watch our steps.

Ice on creeks, ponds, and lakes is usually too thin to walk or skate.
Ice on the ground or sidewalks causes falls.
Ice on roads and parking lots lead to wrecks.

On thin ice means we are in a risky or dangerous situation.

We put ourselves in danger when we:

Invest money in an unknown company.
Choose friends we cannot trust.
Fail to care for our health.

Some risks are worth the danger.

Uncertain investments sometimes make lots of money.
Everyone makes mistakes and needs a second chance.
We risk our health to save another life (organ donation, firemen entering a burning building).

Other risks are not worth it.

Then it’s better to be safe than sorry.

We decide each day whether to step on thin ice or stay on solid ground.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways’” (Haggai 1:7).

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Make Do

February 2, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

Make Do My parents and grandparents knew how to make do. So did many of their generation. They survived on what they had. If they had little, they lived on little. If they had more than enough, they saved for the future and shared with others.

They tried to avoid debt. If they didn’t have money, they didn’t buy. They grew their own food, built their own houses, and made their own clothes. They:

Discovered new recipes with the food in their kitchens
Styled themselves with the clothes in their closets (if they had closets)
Learned new ways to live off the land

They threw almost nothing away. Instead, they:

Cut buttons off old shirts to reuse
Canned and froze food they grew in the summer to eat in the winter
Cut up rags to make quilts

By doing the best they could with what they had, they learned to appreciate all they had. Although not rich with money, they were rich in faith and love.

Now in their golden years or gone but not forgotten, they continue to share their wealth with others. Some of those gifts appear in this picture.

A quilt made by my mother
A quilt rack made by my father
A Dutch boy and girl painted by a dear friend
Old canning jars that remind me to make do

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

Do you have a favorite make do story? If so, please comment

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By the Skin of My Teeth

January 26, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Teeth have no skin, but we know skin is thin. So, if I escape a problem by the skin of my teeth, I barely get by.

For example:

A car almost hits me.
I pass a test with a “D” grade.
I almost lose my job.
I narrowly escape death.

In each case, disaster was close, but it did not happen.

We find this big fish at Wisconsin’s House on the Rock. The bird and boat inside the fish did not escape by the skin of their teeth. Instead, the teeth of the fish trapped them.

We can often avoid problems and narrow escapes.

Careful driving prevents many accidents.
Regular study results in better grades.
Honest work improves job security.
Good eating, sleeping, and exercise mean better health.

Sometimes, bad things happen anyway. They did for Job in the Bible. He lost almost everything. Yet, he did not give up. He continued to believe in God, who remains with us through good times and bad.

“I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth” (Job 19:20 NIV).

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Turn Over a New Leaf

January 19, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

I always thought of a leaf on a tree when I heard the expression turn over a new leaf. I knew it meant people wanted to change. So, I thought of new leaves growing on trees or leaves changing colors.

A little checking proved me wrong.

I had the meaning right.

If we turn over a new leaf, we:

Want to do better than we have in the past
Plan a fresh start
Change our attitude or behavior
Leave our past behind

I had the origin wrong.

The expression refers to turning to a new page in a book. Another name for page is leaf. Therefore, when we turn over a new leaf, we start a clean page in our lives. We begin again.

Whether talking about leaves on a tree or leaves in a book, the meaning remains the same. We change for the better.

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

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Go Against the Grain

January 12, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

If we work with wood, we don’t usually go against the grain. We work in the natural direction of the wood’s fibers. That is true whether we work with new wood or old. It is also true whether we:

Sand the wood to make it smooth
Paint or stain it
Clean or polish it

Years ago, I put new stain on a beautiful piece of furniture. In one spot, I brushed against the grain. That one mistake stood out from all the rest.

In life, if we go against the grain, we go against what we want to do. That often means standing firm against popular opinion.

Our natural desire leads us to follow the crowd. Standing firm for what we believe can be difficult when few people stand with us. Yet, the crowd is not always right.

So how do we decide the direction to go?

Avoid

Going along with everyone else just because it is easy
Going against the grain simply for attention

Do

Educate ourselves
Choose what is right, whether it goes against the grain or not.

“Hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NIV).

Thanks to Suellen Shaw for the idea.

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

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Photo courtesy of morgueFile.

One Step at a Time

December 29, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 11 comments

We climb the highest mountain and walk through the lowest valley the same way – one step at a time. We place one foot in front of the other over and over again. Little by little we move forward.

We do the same emotionally. Whether we feel on top of the world or in the deepest depression, we keep going, one step at a time. Faced with a hard row to hoe, we do what we need to do now. Then we take the next step.

Good teachers guide us one step at a time. If we move too fast or change the order, we often fail. If we take our time and follow directions, we usually succeed.

I rarely make New Year resolutions. If I did, I think this would make a good one. For this year, I want to take:

One step at a time
One day at a time
One task at a time

This one thing I know: Whether our journey fills us with joy or sorrow, we never have to walk alone. If we invite Him, God will walk with us every step of the way.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV).

What New Year resolution have you made? Please comment.

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Watch Your Step

December 1, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 11 comments

“You better watch your step.” Have you heard that from a parent, teacher, or boss? When it happens, we know we have pushed all the wrong buttons. We are in trouble or soon will be, unless we change our behavior.

If we don’t watch our step when we walk or run, we fall. Falls frequently occur because of:

Wet leaves on steps
Not paying attention (Having our head in the clouds)
Stepping on rocks, holes, or toys

If we fail to watch our step in relationships, we risk:

Offending other people
Earning a bad reputation
Suffering personal problems

Falls can happen quickly. That is true in any situation.

Sometimes we cause falls ourselves.
Sometimes other people cause them.
Sometimes they are no one’s fault.

As a result, we want to use caution — to watch our step.

Prevent the mistakes we can.
Prepare for the mistakes that happen.
Pick ourselves up when we fall.

Let’s learn from the steps we take, both good and bad.

“I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes” (Psalm 119: 59 NIV).

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Hunky-dory

November 17, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Dana uses two thumbs up to say she feels hunky-dory. Her mother first learned that expression when she stayed with us a few years ago. She asked my husband, “How are you?” When he replied, “Hunky-dory,” Dana’s mother had no idea what he meant. Once she learned, this became a favorite funny expression.

Now Dana also knows hunky-dory means:

Okay
Just fine
No big problems

Although she may not feel on top of the world, she has no major complaints.

Even in the middle of hard times, life can still be good. Like children, why not treasure every special moment:

A butterfly on a flower
A favorite snack
A hug from someone we love

Those little moments make such great memories. If we will treasure them later, why not treasure them now? Look around at today’s blessings. Enjoy them. Make this a hunky-dory day.

“It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods. Every morning tell him, “Thank you for your kindness,” and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness” (Psalm 92:1-2 TLB).

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

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Thanks to Helen Liu for the photo.

Let Things Slide

November 10, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Why bother doing a good job, if it’s a chore we hate, right? Wrong! We all face the temptation to let things slide, especially if no one sees us.

Why not neglect our responsibilities and have a little fun? Work seems less important if we want to do something else. The longer the job takes, the worse the temptation.

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

“Nobody ever looks under the bed, so why sweep there?”
“The boss doesn’t like me, so why do his senseless work?”
“Why should I care? No one else does.”

The longer we dwell on such thoughts, the more our excuses grow.

Quite honestly, few people look under the bed. Sometimes the boss doesn’t like us and gives us senseless work. And people don’t always care.

But does that justify less than our best?

We will know:

Dirt is under the bed.
The assigned task wasn’t done.
We cared no more than anyone else.

Once we make a bad habit, it’s hard to break. Like the pressure of a volcano, it grows worse and worse. Sometimes the results are tragic.

Therefore, let’s do our work well. We will feel better about it. Plus, we gain a good reputation.

The easy way does not always equal the best way. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes
9:10 NIV).

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

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Photo courtesy of morgueFile.