Wisdom Archives - Page 37 of 49

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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Follow in Someone’s Footsteps

February 22, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Follow in Someone's Footsteps 4 I wonder if wearing an apron will help me follow in the footsteps of my Granny Beasley.

Will it make me a better cook?
Will it give me a great sense of humor?
Will it give me arms big enough to hug the world?

I rarely saw her without her apron. She used it to:

Keep her clothes clean while she cooked or did other work
Dry tears from her own or children’s eyes
Fan herself during hot weather

She did take it off when people took her picture.

To follow in the footsteps of someone, we:

Follow the person’s example.
Take that person’s role or job.
Look to the person for guidance or an example.
Live like that person lived.

Follow in Someone's Footsteps7 I doubt that my WorldCrafts apron will make me like Granny. However, it does:

Provide great memories
Challenge me to follow in the footsteps of Granny Beasley (and the many other positive examples in my life)
Encourage me to create good footsteps for others to follow

“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me” (Psalm 119:133 NIV).

Whose footsteps do you follow? Please comment.

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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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Head over Heels

February 9, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Head over Heels morgue file8161310074013 Have you ever been head over heels in love?

You were so in love you did not know up from down.
You acted silly but didn’t care.
You wanted to spend every single minute with your loved one.

Have you later realized that was not true love?

So often we get the meaning of true love all wrong. We focus on the temporary:

Physical attraction
Common interests
Popularity
Desire to love or be close to someone

None of those are necessarily bad. However, true love means so much more. Love that lasts means moving beyond puppy love to:

Commitment to the loved one, regardless of circumstances
Willingness to give 100 percent, not 50-50
Being there for one another when life gets hard

At the same time, we want to keep true love lovely by:

Talking and laughing with one another
Sharing fun times
Hugging and saying “I love you” often

That helps keep us head over heels in love with our loved one for life.

Above all, we want to follow the ultimate example of love – Jesus’ unconditional, sacrificial love.

“You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes” (Song of Solomon 4:9 NIV).

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Photo courtesy of morgueFile.

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).

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

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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).

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

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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.

Second Fiddle

January 5, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

I can’t play a fiddle – first fiddle or second fiddle. I tried to learn from my father. My efforts were not successful.

Fiddle is another name for violin. The music style makes it different.

In an orchestra, second violin supports the first violin. First violin usually plays melody while second violin plays harmony. As the name suggests, second violin has a secondary role.

Therefore, if we play second fiddle to someone, the other person gets noticed more. She gets more credit. People often think the second fiddle role is less important or second best. For example, a vice president plays second fiddle to president.

Four things we need to remember about playing second fiddle:

1. Someone needs to play second fiddle.
2. With hard work, we may someday play first.
3. Both roles are important.
4. The two together make beautiful music.

Whether we lead or play second fiddle, let’s play to the best of our ability.

“Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:3-6 NIV).

Thanks to Rachel DeCoursey for the Campbellsville University orchestra photo.

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One Step at a Time

December 29, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 9 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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