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Category: Self-Improvement

We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar

We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar

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We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar-honey in jars

We catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Set some honey near flies and watch what happens.

Nothing equals the sweet taste of honey.

Flies love it. So do people.

We don’t usually like the taste of vinegar by itself.

Think about what that teaches.

We get our needs met faster when we are polite.

Be sweet to other people.

  • Treat everyone as we want to be treated.
  • Show respect.
  • Speak and act with kindness.
  • Smile.
  • Give more than expected for good measure.

A bad attitude makes everyone feel worse.

We cannot act sour and expect everyone to treat us well. When we complain constantly, we should not expect good service.

Yet, one small act of kindness can make everyone feel and act better.

Watch what happens when a happy baby enters a room full of frowning adults. The whole room changes.

  • The baby laughs, waves, and tries to play with the adults.
  • Adults smile, wave, and play with the child.
  • Soon everyone has a great time.

We may not be sweet as a baby. However, we can be friendly. Let’s add a little joy to the lives of those we meet.

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24 NET).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Cross a Bridge When We Come to It

Cross a Bridge When We Come to It

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Cross a Bridge When We Come to It-covered bridge Everyone knows we cross a bridge when we come to it.

  • Not before we come to it.
  • Not after we come to it.

We cross only when we come to it.

We understand that about physical bridges. We often forget that truth in our personal lives.

We cross a bridge when we come to it by dealing with life as it happens.

We don’t worry about something before it happens.

  • If it never happens, we worried for nothing.
  • If it does happen, worry did not stop it.

 Instead, we handle each moment as it comes. We plan and prepare, but we don’t worry. We don’t borrow trouble or tie ourselves in knots.

Cross a Bridge When We Come to It-church framed by bridgePrayer prepares us to cross a bridge when we come to it.

Rather than becoming a worry wart, we ask God to lead us. The Goddard Covered Bridge in Fleming County, Kentucky, shows that well. When we look beside the bridge or through it, we see a small country church. That church, like so many others, reminds us to trust God.

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV)

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In the Doghouse

In the Doghouse

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In the DoghouseDogs (especially puppies) often get in trouble. They:

  • Dig where they should not dig. We had a puppy dig a hole to the water line in our yard.
  • Chew things they should not chew. Our neighbor’s puppy loved our shoes and caps.
  • Jump on people at all the wrong times. Paw prints never look good on our best clothes.

When dogs get in trouble, their owners may put them in the doghouse.

Most dogs rather be with people than alone in their house.

Some people spend a lot of time in the doghouse.

They get in trouble with:

  • Bosses
  • Husbands or wives
  • Parents
  • Teachers
  • Friends

Because of their bad behavior:

  • Bosses give them more work or less pay.
  • Husbands or wives don’t want to spend time with them.
  • Parents take away fun activities.
  • Teachers give bad grades.
  • Friends stop being friends.

People in the doghouse don’t enjoy living a dog’s life.

Therefore, they need to watch their steps and stay out of trouble.

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12 NIV).

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Act High and Mighty

Act High and Mighty

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Act High and Mighty--mountainsSome people think they are better than others.

Those who act high and mighty:

  • Appear proud and powerful
  • Want others to admire them
  • Believe they are more important than others
  • Act the opposite of humble, down-to-earth people.

People who act high and mighty have become too big for their britches.

They fail to treat everyone with respect.

No one is more or less important than anyone else. Different positions do not equal different worth.

The high and mighty don’t remain there forever.

Mountains change. People change.

The tallest mountains slowly erode. Rain, wind, animals, and people wear away the dirt and rocks. Time also changes the positions people fill.

God alone is eternally high and mighty.

God is God. People are not. Only God deserves our highest honor.

“Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you” (Psalm 89:8 NIV)

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Knee High to a Grasshopper

Knee High to a Grasshopper

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Knee High to a GrasshopperMany of us love spending time with children who are knee high to a grasshopper. They are:

  • Small
  • Short
  • Still growing
  • So cute

We enjoy children’s smallness. Yet, we don’t like to feel small.

Most of us have moments we feel knee high to a grasshopper.

Because grasshoppers are so small, they appear unimportant. People pay little attention to them. Sometimes we feel unimportant. We think no one pays attention to us either. Other people appear:

  • Smarter
  • Better looking
  • More talented

We feel like low man on the totem pole.

We also feel small compared to the size of our world. How tiny we look compared to:

  • Mountains
  • Oceans
  • The sky

In addition, we feel small when we have done something wrong. We think we are:

  • Guilty
  • Worthless
  • Hopeless

Although small, both children and grasshoppers make a big difference.

 Children teach us to:

  • Have fun
  • Love
  • Trust
  • Learn

Grasshoppers destroy much we need or enjoy:

  • Gardens
  • Fields
  • Flowers

Regardless of our size, we all make a difference.

Therefore, what kind of difference will we make? Will we spread joy like children? Or will we destroy what we touch like grasshoppers?

God created our world and everything in it. Compared to God’s greatness, we all appear knee high to a grasshopper. Yet, God desires a personal relationship with each of us. How great is that?

“When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place, Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them?” (Psalm 8:3-4 NET)

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Spitting Image

Spitting Image

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Spitting Image-bridge relfection in waterOne of our nephews is the spitting image of his father. They look alike in all their baby and childhood pictures.

A girl in my Sunday school class was the spitting image of her older sister. I have to look closely to tell them apart.

Spitting image usually means someone looks exactly like another person.

They are the mirror image of one another. Identical twins are the perfect example.

Spitting image also applies to things besides people, such as the reflection of this bridge on Magnolia Plantation.

No one knows for sure how this expression began. Two strong possibilities include:

  1. People look so much alike, one could have spat the other out of his mouth.
  2. The expression began as splitting image. This refers to a split (cut) piece of wood. The two parts of wood look alike.

People may be the spitting image in looks but not behavior.

  • Sons may look like, but not act like, their fathers.
  • Sisters may look like, but not act like, one another.
  • Identical twins definitely look like, but don’t always act like, each other.

People don’t choose how they look. They do choose how they act.

Therefore:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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Kill Two Birds with One Stone

Kill Two Birds with One Stone

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Kill Two Birds with One Stone-eagle among rocksI have heard people say they kill two birds with one stone all my life. The picture in my mind bothers me.

However, the phrase is easy to understand and remember.

If we kill two birds with one stone, we accomplish two tasks with one action.

We use our resources well. We also save time. Most people today call this multitasking or wise time management.

In this picture, I was able to kill two birds with one stone.

  • I took my first picture of an eagle. (He stands in the center. I did not zoom fast enough.)
  • I enjoyed the beauty of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia.

We also kill two birds with one stone if we:

  • Prepare dinner while we listen to the news.
  • Pay bills while we wait for appointments.
  • Visit friends while we attend a meeting in their city.

Sometimes we need to focus on only one task at a time.

Never try to kill two birds with one stone by:

  • Texting while driving (That may kill us instead of birds.)
  • Using dangerous tools while holding a child (Never, never, never do this. Enough said.)
  • Checking our phone while a loved one talks to us (That may kill a relationship.)

Focus on what is most important. Keep first things first.

“Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done” (Galatians 6:4 TLB).

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Poor as a Church Mouse

Poor as a Church Mouse

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Poor as a Church Mouse--mouse on a fenceIf we are poor as a church mouse, we are the poorest of the poor.

We own almost nothing.

Years ago, few churches had kitchens. Therefore, if a mouse lived in a church, it had little to eat. A child might drop crumbs from a snack. Yet, that would not last long. The poor mouse might starve.

We may have times poor as a church mouse. We may also have times rich as a king.

Our happiness does not depend on what we own.

We can be poor as church mice and happy. We make do.

We can also live high on the hog, and be unhappy.

Money matters little for true meaning in life.

We find real wealth in:

  • Peace in our souls
  • Purpose for living
  • Love for God and one another
  • Hope for the future
  • Joy for every day
  • Sharing what we have with those in need

We can’t take it with us when we die. So, why not put what we own to good use now?

“Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater” (Proverbs 28:6 TLB).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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Silence is Golden

Silence is Golden

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Silence is Golden: Miller Park As my dad used to say, sometimes we need “peace and quiet and very little of that.”

Silence is golden when we need quiet rather than noise.

Life gets too loud. Talk makes us tired. We need to get away. We need rest.

During those times, silence is worth more than silver or gold.

Often this occurs when we have been:

  • Too busy
  • Around too many people
  • Focused on electronics or other time thieves

Silence is also golden when we should keep our mouths shut.

We do need to speak up to correct wrongs. We don’t need to tell everything we know.

We make a bad situation worse when we say too much. Talking when we should stay quiet makes us look foolish. It often hurts other people. Better to bite our tongue than to be a busybody.

Therefore, take breaks from life’s noise.

  • Learn to practice quietness.
  • Think before speaking.

Find a peaceful place. Let its stillness wash the worries from your mind.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 NIV).

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Miss the Boat

Miss the Boat

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Miss the Boat--river boatDid you ever miss the boat? I did, in more ways than one.

Years ago, I went to Minneapolis for training. One day I planned a late afternoon boat cruise. Our last speaker was great. I decided to buy one of his books and have him sign it.

Several people left before he finished his talk. I thought, How rude.

After I bought my book, I looked at my watch. Oh, no! I missed the boat. I failed to stay on my toes about the time. Others left early so they would not miss the boat.

Rather than cry over spilled milk, a friend and I took a self-guided city tour.

To miss the boat can have several meanings:

  • Be too late (as I was on my trip)
  • Fail to understand something
  • Make a mistake
  • Miss an opportunity

If we miss one boat, we can usually take another one.

  • If too late for one event, schedule another.
  • Ask someone to explain what we don’t understand.
  • Learn from mistakes and try again.
  • Look for new opportunities.

However, another boat is not always possible.

  • We may not be able to reschedule what we miss. (I did not have time for another cruise in Minneapolis.)
  • No one can understand everything.
  • Some mistakes will always cause problems.
  • We may never have a similar opportunity.

Therefore, let’s pay attention, learn well, and try not to miss the boat.

“Make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5 NIV).

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