Self-Improvement Archives - Page 47 of 48

Bloom Where You’re Planted

July 2, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

This picture, taken in a geyser basin of Yellowstone National Park, demonstrates bloom where you’re planted perfectly. Surrounded by geysers and hot springs, these flowers thrive. I’m certain a plant scientist could explain that. However, to an untrained eye, it looks impossible. In the midst of boiling water, thick steam, and crusty ground, flowers grow and bloom.

These flowers remind us to bloom where we’re planted.

Our life circumstances (where we’re planted) may be good or bad. Yet we can grow and spread cheer (bloom) regardless of our circumstances. Certainly, that’s easier when life goes well. At the same time, some of the most cheerful people have experienced the hardest lives.

A poor man with a sick wife gives snacks to children at his church every week.
A dying wife encourages her husband and children to live well after her death.
A hungry woman gives the last of her food to neighbors.

Will we bloom where we’re planted and spread joy?

Or will we wilt and spread gloom? Each of us must choose.

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon” (Psalm 92:12 NIV).

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Pull Out All the Stops

June 18, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Pull Out All the Stops-organ Few people play an organ. Yet, any of us can pull out all the stops. We can give our best effort in whatever we do.

In the world of music, nothing compares to pipe organs. Their unique sound has filled churches, concert halls, and other buildings for centuries.

Organs can be used for all types of music. They are probably best known for classical and sacred.

An organ’s sound results from air vibrations in its pipes. I don’t understand everything about how that works. However, I do know three facts:

If an organist pulls out a knob called a stop, it allows sound from a set of pipes (a rank).
If the organist pushes a stop in, no sound can come from those pipes.
The more stops pulled, the larger the sound.

You can see an organist pulling out stops in the picture above. (Some newer organs have replaced pull stops with tilting tablets.)

Organist and writer Emily Akin suggested and helped with this phrase. She describes pulling out all the stops as “giving it all you’ve got.”

Let’s not hold anything back. Let’s pull out all the stops!

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

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Make Hay While the Sun Shines

June 11, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

A farmer has to make hay while the sun shines.

His work depends on the weather.

If rain delays cutting the hay, it may be tough and have little food value.
Rainfall after hay is cut, but before it’s raked and baled, requires extra work to remove the moisture.
If the rain lasts too long, an entire crop could be lost.
Without hay for their livestock, farmers have to buy feed or sell their animals.

How does make hay while the sun shines apply to non-farmers?

We can spend days or years planning what we want to do. However, we have only one certain way to achieve our goals: If the circumstances are right, act now.

Several clichés explain this particular farming expression:

Make the most of your opportunities.
We have no guarantee of tomorrow.
There’s no time like the present.

Let’s act while we have the opportunity.

Let’s make hay while the sun shines! If we wait, we may lose our chance forever.

As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work (John 9:4 NIV).

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

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Hold Your Horses

May 28, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

As small children, my sister and I did not enjoy shopping. Instead, we wanted to play. So, when we had to shop with Mom or Dad, we walked fast.

Like horses ready for a race, we had one goal. We wanted to return home, the quicker the better. Our plan had one problem. When we walked fast, our parents usually yelled, “Hold your horses!” They were telling us to stop. It wasn’t time to go. We needed to buy groceries or clothes.

Similar to horses obeying their riders, we obeyed our parents. We walked slower. We tried to bridle (a nice horsy word) our energy. We didn’t enjoy it. It interfered with our plans. Yet it taught us important lessons.

Listening to our parents helped us avoid danger. Later we learned to identify those dangers for ourselves. Just like young horses, we needed guidance. We needed patience. We needed to learn to use our energy for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2 NIV).

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

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Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

May 21, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

People who raise chickens understand exactly what this means. They know you don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Too many disasters can occur to those fragile eggs.

Animals may eat them.
Children may use them to play ball.
Someone may accidentally sit or step on them.

Likewise, we have no guarantee our plans will work.

Not with:

Family
Work
Recreation
School
The next hour

We can:

Plan
Organize
Prepare for possible problems.

In spite of that, our plans may fail.

So, do we give up? Do we stop trying? Definitely not!

We continue to plan, organize, and prepare for problems. With hard work, our plans often succeed.

But we also remain flexible.

We face the fact that we can’t control everything. We remember that sometimes our best-laid plans fail.

Above all, we remember that when we can’t count on anyone or anything else, we can always count on God. God never fails.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

Thanks to Emily Akin for suggesting this expression.

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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

May 7, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Fear often keeps us from trying anything new. We think, “If I don’t try, I won’t fail.” By not trying, however, we miss some of the best that life has to offer. If we haven’t ventured into the unknown, we stay safe but stagnant.

Consider the child rejected by his parents. As an adult, he must choose if he will trust people. If he trusts, he could be rejected again … or he might enjoy close relationships. If he never trusts, he will never know true love.

Most of us fear public speaking. We may have great voices and brilliant ideas. But they do no good if we never share them. If we make a mistake, that’s okay. Everyone else makes them too.

A woman’s grandmother told her, “You can’t go near water until you learn how to swim.” As a result, she couldn’t swim and panicked when near deep water. Only when she faced her fears could she swim. She began by standing in a small amount of water. One small step at a time, she ventured farther. As a middle-aged woman, she finally learned the fun of playing in a pool.

What do you fear? Is the harm real or only in your mind?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NIV).

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Ride the Fence

April 23, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Ride the fence reminds me of a favorite scene in the old movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. The main character, George, walks back and forth in front of Mary’s house, hitting the fence with a stick and mumbling. Mary leans her head out the window and asks, “Have you made up your mind?”

While physically hitting a fence, George was emotionally riding the fence. He hadn’t decided whether to visit Mary. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do about his life goals.

George wanted to travel. Mary wanted a home in their small town. Mary wanted marriage. George did not. Others saw that George was falling in love with Mary. George denied those feelings.

We get nowhere if we physically sit on top of a fence. To move forward, we must climb down on one side or the other. The same is true of our emotions.

Like George, if we ride the fence, we will probably stay upset until we decide. We need to take time for good decisions. We have to emotionally get off the fence.

Have you made up your mind about the direction of your life? What receives most of your attention? What goals have you set? Do those goals match your beliefs?

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose (Psalm 25:12 NIV).

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A Chip Off the Old Block

April 16, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

The tiniest wood chip contains the same basic makeup as the original block, simply smaller. Often people refer to a child as a chip off the old block. No one questions the child’s heritage. Similarities to the parent may include the way they walk, talk, gesture, and behave. Personalities of the parent and child often match one another as well.

We have little control over our physical appearance. We can use makeup, eat and sleep well, and exercise. A few people receive costly cosmetic surgery. Yet, many of our physical features are beyond our control.

Although a person’s nature reflects genetics, we choose whether to control our behavior in most circumstances. We decide who we mirror in our actions and attitudes.

Choose wisely.

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart” (Proverbs 27:19 NIV).

Something’s Fishy

April 10, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Something's Fishy--fish No one likes to smell fish left in a hot car, on the beach, or in a trash can. They stink! Only people who cannot smell escape the fishy aroma.

Getting rid of that odor is almost impossible. We rub. We spray. We open doors and windows. We do everything we know to do, but the smell remains.

In much the same way, we sometimes face situations that don’t seem right. We may not know why, but the negative feeling won’t go away.

A friend asks us to join an activity that makes us feel uneasy.
Someone offers an opportunity that sounds too good to be true.
We sense danger but can’t see why.

Those fishy situations disturb us for a reason. By trusting our instincts, we may avoid many future problems.

Flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11 NIV).

Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

April 9, 2013 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Have you ever been so hungry you could eat almost anything? Or have you cooked a favorite meal and couldn’t wait to taste it? Be careful! If you take too big a bite, you can’t chew it. You try, but nothing works.

The problem then is how to get it out of your mouth. You want to be polite. You don’t want to make anyone sick. You hope nobody sees what you’re doing. Then you ask yourself, “Why did I have to act like a pig?”

In our work, our homes, and at play, we can also try to do too much. No one has the ability, time, or energy to do everything. Yet, some people have a hard time saying no to an extra task. As with food, they bite off more than they can chew. Because they try to do everything, they can’t enjoy anything.

When we eat, let’s take small bites and enjoy each one. In our activities, let’s also accept our limits. If we choose our tasks wisely, each one becomes easier. The chance for success grows stronger.

“I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands!” (Psalm 119:96 The Message)