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Category: Wisdom

File 13

File 13

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File 13--trash can filled with envelopes and paperOur mail, whether in a physical box or an online inbox, usually includes junk. Because we don’t want junk, we get rid of it. It goes in file 13.

File 13 means the trash can or wastebasket.

Unwanted paper and other trash land there. We want it gone, so we throw it away. We wish we would never have to see physical trash or online junk or spam again.

File 13 content sometimes threatens us.

People or organizations send information for:

  • Financial scams
  • Identity theft
  • Revenge

Shredding all mail with identifying information adds extra protection.

Other times, File 13 content simply frustrates us.

Frequently unwanted material includes:

  • Political flyers
  • Advertisements
  • Requests for money

Let’s keep junk out of our minds as well as our mailboxes.

What goes down in the well comes up in the bucket. Likewise, what goes in our minds comes out in our actions. May we wisely filter all we receive, think, say, and do. As one friend says, let’s use our heads for more than a hat rack.

Get rid of the trash. Keep the treasures.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,6 NIV).

Thanks to Ann Klotz for the suggestion.

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Right Off the Bat

Right Off the Bat

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Right Off the Bat--Batter hitting a ballWhen a batter hits a ball, that ball flies right off the bat. While the ball soars through the air, the batter runs toward first base without delay.

Right off the bat means immediately.

We don’t hesitate. Instead, we act:

  • Instantly
  • First thing

Rather than sit and ponder the possibilities, we move almost spontaneously.

We value first responders who act right off the bat.

Their speed often makes the difference in life and death.

  • Fire fighters
  • Law enforcement
  • Medical personnel

We don’t want precise workers to act right off the bat.

Their speed results in costly errors or conclusions.

  • Scientists
  • Accountants
  • Builders

For them, haste makes waste. If we demand their work immediately if not sooner, we suffer in the end.

May we always choose wisely between patience and speed.

Much in life is worth the wait. Yet, we never want to postpone decisions that require an immediate response.

Without delay [Jesus] called them, and they … followed him (Mark 1:20 NIV).

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion and to Richard Robards for the photo.

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Short Leash

Short Leash

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Short leash--Dog on short leash across a fence from a horseA friend recently said, “when we are dog-tired, we can be on that short leash of frustration and bark at others too easily.” How true. Fatigue often leads to frustration and harsh answers.

A short leash means strong control by someone or something.

When dog owners want more control over their dogs, they keep the leash short and the dogs close.

People on short emotional leashes know the feeling well. They enjoy little freedom.

We suffer if we allow emotions to keep us on a short leash.

God gave us emotions, but God also gave us minds. We never want our emotions to cloud good judgement.

Let’s choose a better way.

Rather than bark or yell at someone when upset, why not take time to calm down? We don’t want to say anything we regret. If we give it a rest long enough to get a grip, we don’t have to worry about going haywire.

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction” (Proverbs 29:18 NIV).

Thanks to Martha J. Orlando for the suggestion and to Chelsey Stone for the photo.

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Burn Boats

Burn Boats

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Burn Boats--a burning ship at nightBurn boats is another expression more common among the British. In America, we usually refer to burning bridges or burning our bridges behind us. The two expressions have the same meaning.

Burn boats (or burn the ships) means to destroy all means of retreat.

 We leave no way to return to our previous situation. According to U.S. Dictionary, this idiom comes from “the story of Hernán Cortés, who, upon arriving in Mexico in 1519, ordered his men to burn their boats, making it clear that there was no turning back.”

When we burn boats in our lives, our commitment forces us to go forward.

We can only move toward the goal or battle before us. As with Cortez and his men, our decision is both brave and risky.

  • It is difficult or impossible to reverse.
  • Yet, we strive harder to achieve our purpose.

The song, “Burn the Ships,” by for King and Country is based on this expression. Learn the reason for their song choice here.

Sometimes we must turn away from our past in order to follow the right road ahead.

Rather than look back, we pursue the good God offers before us.

 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV).

Thanks to Jonna J. LeVan for the suggestion. Photo by Klub Boks on Pexels.

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Down the Road

Down the Road

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Down the Road--road leading into a greenery-covered tunnelWhen I was a child, several relatives lived down the road from us. My sister and I often walked to their houses to play with our cousins.

We also spent time wondering what God had down the road for our futures. Where would we live? What would we do?

Down the road has two meanings.

  1. On the same road or nearby
  2. In the future

This post will focus on the second meaning.

It pays to plan for what lies down the road.

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” That quote or similar ones have been credited to Benjamin Franklin, Reverend H. K. Williams, and others. Yet, the source remains uncertain. Regardless of who first said it, the truth endures.

We face an uncertain future.

Although we want to plan, life offers no guarantees. Therefore, we prepare for our goals. Yet, we also prepare for life’s unknowns.

God remains with us both now and down the road.

In spite of life’s uncertainties, we can always count on God’s peace and presence. Whether our plans work out or go down the drain, God promises never to leave us alone. All we have to do is follow Him in faith.

 As we travel down life’s road, may we never stray from the straight and narrow.

“Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road” (Proverbs 21:8 MSG).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion and the photo.

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Hang On to Your Hat

Hang On to Your Hat

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Hang On to Your Hat--woman holding hat on a windy day. Puppy in foreground.Recent storms brought windy weather. As a result, you needed to hang on to your hat. You also needed to hang on to everything else around you.

To hang on to your hat means to prepare yourself.

Something is about to happen, and you want to get ready. Often, the event is unexpected and shocking. It may affect:

  • Individuals
  • Small groups
  • Large numbers of people

A similar expression tells you to hold on to your hat.

Life is full of surprises.

It frequently throws you for a loop with both pleasant and unpleasant changes. Like roller coaster rides, its twists and turns can thrill or terrify. Changes occur in:

  • Relationships
  • Employment
  • Weather
  • Health
  • World events

When life storms or trials occur, you may find it hard to hang on to your faith. 

Change throws you off balance. You struggle to understand. Yet, God uses every experience, good and bad, expected and unexpected, to help you grow.

Hang on to your hat and see where God leads.

Through even the hardest times, you may be pleasantly surprised.

“‘Where is your faith’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him’” (Luke 8:25 NIV).

Thanks to Judy Corbin for the suggestion and to Karen Atwood for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Have Your Cake and Eat It

Have Your Cake and Eat It

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Have your cake and eat it--young woman holding the top layer of a wedding cake.

To have your cake and eat it refers to two things you can’t have or do at the same time.

 A less puzzling earlier version of the expression is to “eat your cake and have it.” You can have cake and then eat it. However, if you eat the cake, you no longer have it.

When my husband and I married, we froze the top layer of our wedding cake until our first anniversary. The first year, we had our cake. At the beginning of the second year, we ate it. We could not enjoy the benefit of keeping and eating our cake at the same time. Each year, we made a choice.

You may want to enjoy both, but you can’t.

For example, you can’t have:

  • Government benefits without tax payments
  • Good grades without study time
  • A new house without a financial investment

You must choose between your desires.

Do you keep your cake, or do you eat it?

All of life requires choices. Seek God’s guidance and choose wisely, since you reap what you sow.

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

Thanks to Lam DeBrot for the suggestion.

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Good Taste

Good Taste

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Good Taste--table decorated in front of two stained-glass windows

What qualifies as good taste? That’s a great question, but it has no single correct answer. We vary from one another and so does our description of good taste. Yet, we can agree on two general definitions.

Good taste means a sense of what is proper and pleasing in social activities.

Acceptable behavior in some settings causes great discomfort in others. Wise choices and tactfulness outweigh personal preferences.

Good taste also means wise beauty, art, and intellectual choices.

We know how to make ourselves and our surroundings attractive. We find examples in:

  • Housing
  • Decorations
  • Food
  • Clothing
  • Music
  • Books

Yet, what we consider refined or sophisticated, other people consider snobbish or laughable. We may be dressed to the nines for our neck of the woods. Yet, the same attire would be inappropriate or highfalutin in other settings.

Love and respect for others are always in good taste.

Jesus set the perfect example in word and deed. May we faithfully follow.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him “ (Psalm 34:8 NIV).

Thanks to Joe and Ann Klotz for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

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Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve

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Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve--a red heart on a white sweater sleeveDo you ever wear your heart on your sleeve? I don’t mean shirts or sweaters with hearts on them. Do you let your emotions show?

When you wear your heart on your sleeve, you openly reveal your emotions.

They become obvious to everyone who sees you. They show in your:

  • Face
  • Words
  • Body Language

Wear your heart on your sleeve applies to every emotion.

  • Anger makes you blow your top.
  • Love brightens the world around you.
  • Concern reaches out to those in need.
  • Fear makes you tremble.

No one has to wonder how you feel, especially when you are in love.

This expression may originate from a medieval custom.

According to The Phrase Finder, knights wore the name of a woman on their sleeves during tournaments.

The phrase later appeared in Shakespeare’s “Othello.”

Wear your heart on your sleeve with caution.

Openness is not appropriate in every situation. You don’t want to go off the deep end. Use wisdom and kindness in all you do.

Allow God’s love to flow through you regardless of your emotions.

When you let go and let God take control, your heart changes for the better.

“I will praise the Lord with my whole heart” (Psalm 111:1 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Burn the Midnight Oil

Burn the Midnight Oil

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Burn the Midnight Oil--chest with burning oil lamp, "Be Still" plaque, trinkets, and BibleThe night before final exams, students often burn the midnight oil. They study late hoping to make good grades.

To burn the midnight oil means to stay up late studying or working.

Before electricity, people used oil lamps or candles for light after dark. If they stayed up until midnight or after, they used extra oil.

This expression appeared in a 1635 poem, “Emblems,” by Francis Quarles.

People often burn the midnight oil because they fail to study or work during regular hours.

If they work harder earlier, they enjoy a job well done plus a good night’s sleep.

Work or study occasionally requires extra effort.

In those cases, late work must be done to complete the task.

Whether we burn the midnight oil or complete our work early, we need occasional breaks.

Instead of burning the candle at both ends, we need time to:

  • Be still in God’s presence.
  • Let God’s peace fill us.

“At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws” (Psalm 119:62 NIV).

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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