Problems Archives - Page 29 of 34

Hang On for Dear Life

April 28, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

An older cousin taught me to swim here. Her first lesson: how to kick.

She told me to find holes in the rocks to get a grip. I then raised my legs and kicked. If I let go, I went under the water. After falling and choking a few times, I learned to hold tightly – to hang on for dear life.

Occasionally my sister or another cousin yelled “snake.” Of course, I screamed and would hang on tighter then.

Eventually I finished my lessons. I still love to swim.

Sometimes our lives seem to fall apart at the seams. When that happens, we hang on for dear life to what matters most. Those hard times can teach us the most valuable lessons.

I now hang on to:

Family
Friends
Faith

I know if I lose the first two, I can survive with the third. The best part of placing my faith in Jesus: I don’t have to hang on for dear life. Jesus holds on to me and will never let go.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” John 10:28 NIV).

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Fresh Start

March 31, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 14 comments

We all need a fresh start occasionally.

We lose a job and need a new one.
We hurt someone and need forgiveness.
We make bad choices and need another chance.

A fresh start means a new beginning. We start over.

A fresh start gives hope. We look for better days ahead, much like:

Springtime arrives after a long hard winter.
We build a new fence after the old one falls apart.
New flowers bloom through dead grass and leaves.

The message of Easter offers the greatest fresh start of all. Jesus died on a cross on Friday, but he rose from the grave on Sunday. He defeated death and sin.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we receive new life. We gain God’s love, peace, hope, and joy. We still have problems, but the problems will not defeat us. In addition, we have the promise of an eternal home in heaven.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

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High on the Hog

March 24, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

Some people live and eat high on the hog. They enjoy the good life. They surround themselves with luxury.

Farmers who raise hogs (pigs) understand the expression. So do butchers who cut the meat. The best cuts of pork come from the back and upper parts of a pig’s leg. Therefore, we find the most expensive cuts high on the hog.

Wealthy people can afford to live high on the hog. Of course, the expression refers to more than their food. It includes a rich lifestyle:

Fancy homes and cars
Frequent world travel
Designer clothing
Expensive jewelry
The best of everything

Some wealthy people choose to live a simple lifestyle. They either save their money or share it. Others live high on the hog but also help those less fortunate.

Many people who can’t afford it try to live high on the hog. They buy on credit but can’t pay their bills. They get too big for their britches. They fail to consider the final cost – the bottom line.

Whether we live high on the hog or live off life’s scraps, we decide how we will use what we possess.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15 NIV)

Thanks to Lori Carmicle for the photo and Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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What Goes Around Comes Around

March 17, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Wisconsin’s House on the Rock owns the largest indoor carousel in the world. That merry-go-round is huge!

269 carousel animals
More than 20,000 lights
182 chandeliers

A carousel always returns to its starting point. So does anything that moves in circles. All demonstrate what goes around comes around.

We often see what goes around comes around in daily life as well.

If we hurt others, we can expect hurt.
If we help others, we can expect help.
If we ignore others, we can expect to be ignored.

We believe people should get what they deserve. We think rewards and punishment should be based on behavior. But life is not always fair. What goes around comes around is not always true.

We don’t always reap what we sow.
Sometimes people hurt us when we don’t deserve hurt.
Other times people help us when we don’t deserve help.

Therefore, we must decide:

Will we love people, regardless of how they treat us?
Or will we give them control by acting like them?

Let’s start more circles of kindness and forgiveness. What do you think?

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).

Please comment below on ways you have seen people show kindness in recent days.

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Stubborn as a Mule

March 10, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

I can be stubborn as a mule. Just ask anyone who knows me well. I hate to admit it, but it’s true.

I know what I want.
I know what I believe.
I don’t like change.
I’m not impossible, but I am stubborn.

A mule is born from a female horse and a male donkey. They have several advantages over horses:

Mules are sure-footed — less likely to slide or stumble.
They carry heavy weight better.
They endure heat well.
They are tough and strong.

Mules are smart. They take care of themselves. If they think something is dangerous, they won’t do it. They trust themselves more than others.

Try to force a mule to do something, and you will probably lose. That’s why we call them stubborn. Help the mule see the advantage of what you want, and you win.

The more I think about it, being stubborn as a mule may not be that bad. I wonder, is that because of my research, or is it because I want it to be so? Hmmm …

“My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled” (Psalm 17:5 NIV).

Thanks to the late Jack Bruns, another self-proclaimed stubborn-as-a-mule person, for the suggestion. Thanks to Debbie Tapscott, for the photo.

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On a Wing and a Prayer

March 3, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Have you ever made it home on a wing and a prayer?

Your airplane starts shaking.
You see smoke from one wing.
The fasten seatbelt light comes on.
The captain says he will have to make an emergency landing.
You begin to pray.

On a wing and a prayer applies to more than airplanes.

However, it first described damaged planes. According to The Phrase Finder, the expression began during World War II. It means “in poor condition but just managing to get the job done.”

The song “On a Wing and a Prayer,” written in 1943, described a damaged warplane barely able to return to base. The movie Wing and a Prayer followed in 1944.

On a wing and a prayer offers hope.

Whatever becomes damaged in our lives can still be used. Like the World War II pilots:

We use the resources we have.
We pray for God’s direction in how to use them.
We finish our task.

We all face difficulties. We all have scars, whether seen or unseen. Those scars remind us we can heal and grow stronger from our experiences.

“Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me! For in you I have taken shelter. In the shadow of your wings I take shelter until trouble passes” (Psalm 57:1 NET).

Thank you to Debbie Tapscott for both the suggested expression and the photo.

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Watch Your Back

February 17, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Teachers in self-defense classes tell us “Watch your back.”

We don’t have eyes in the back of our heads, so how do we do that? We watch our backs by:

Avoiding danger
Verifying information
Preparing for problems

With electronics, we watch our backs by backing up our information.

If you want to keep it, back it up. Computers, smart phones, tablets, and other devices fail for several reasons.

Age
Malware
Theft
Accidents

Without backup, I would have recently lost all my documents and photos. Trust me; that’s one of a writer’s worst nightmares. I was thankful I had backed up my information more than one way. Pay attention to the warning, better safe than sorry.

Caring adults watch the backs of children.

Randi and Callie enjoy playing at the beach. So do their parents. Yet, Mom and Dad constantly watch the girls’ backs.

They protect them.
They guide them.
They set the right example – the footprints – for the girls to follow.

Watch your back. Watch the backs of others.

Follow the right footprints.

“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you’” (Matthew 24:4 NIV).

Thanks to Shannan Posey for the photo and Laurel Blevins for the suggestion.

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Puppy Love

February 10, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Puppy Love 1 Puppies are cute, sweet, and make us smile. The same is true for puppy love — children or young people falling in love. We smile at puppy love, but we know it seldom lasts.

The problem: Puppy love depends on emotions alone — how do I feel?

If you make me feel good, I love you.
If you make me feel bad, I don’t love you.
If we have fun, I love you.
If we don’t have fun, I don’t love you.

As a result, young people may fall in and out of love several times.

Sadly many adults define love the same way.

The trouble with that thinking:

Good feelings come and go.
Life is not always fun.

True love – lasting love – means much more.

I choose to love you.
I commit my life to you.
I will do what is best for you.

That does not mean love is blind. It does mean:

I accept that no one is perfect.
I will work with you on our disagreements.
I love you, even when I don’t like you or your actions.

In any relationship we sometimes feel on top of the world. Other times we feel like we are in a valley. True love says, “I will walk with you wherever the journey takes us.”

Love is a choice. Love is a verb.

Note: If abuse occurs in a relationship, seek help and protection immediately.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

What do you think true love means? Please comment.

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Kick the Bucket

January 27, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

"Wild Bill" Hickok, Mt. Moriah Cemetery "Boot Hill" — “Wild Bill” Hickok, Mt. Moriah Cemetery “Boot Hill”

The literal meaning of kick the bucket sounds harmless. However, the idiom fills many people with fear.

When we kick the bucket, we die.

Kick the bucket may have started when hanging was a common method of execution. Sometimes criminals stood on a bucket while the rope went around their necks. Another person then kicked the bucket out from under their feet.

Many people rather not talk about death.

Perhaps that’s why we use so many idioms instead:

Push up daisies
Bite the dust
Croak
Pass away
Depart this life
Meet our Maker
Go to our reward
Fade away
Breathe our last
Laid to rest

We have many more, but you get the idea.

We avoid a hard truth by the words we choose.

Notice how western movies describe death. Like “Wild Bill” Hickok, cowboys are laid to rest with their boots on and their heads pointed west. Whatever the words, they remain graveyard dead.

Death is a natural part of life.

As Dr. L. Nelson Bell said “Only those who are prepared to die are really prepared to live.”

If we prepare to meet our Maker, we need not fear.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (1 Corinthians 15:55 and Philippians 1:21 NET).

Next week we will look at the related but more popular expression, bucket list.

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Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

January 20, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Are you a chief cook and bottle washer?

In your home?
At work?
In your club?
In other organizations?

If you answer yes to the following questions, you qualify.

Are you in charge of almost everything?
Do you complete most of the work yourself?
Are your tasks important but routine?
Do you often wish for more help?

We can easily complain if we have the role of chief cook and bottle washer. Perhaps, however, we need to look at our responsibilities a different way.

Think about people whose health will not allow them to work.
Express gratitude for our abilities.
Thank those whose help we receive.
Train others to perform similar tasks.
Request help when we need it. People are willing to help more often than we realize.

For all those chief cook and bottle washers out there, thank you. For everyone else, lend those special people a helping hand.

“Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work” (Matthew 24:46 TLB).

Thank you to Brad Montgomery for the photo of sweet Savannah, a chief cook and bottle washer in training. Thank you to Rebecca Stafford, a longtime chief cook and bottle washer, for suggesting this expression.

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