Down the Drain
We love to watch water fall into a river. However, we rarely want to watch water go down the drain. We lose that water, and it costs us.
Down the drain means wasted.
Our resources have:
- Failed
- Disappeared
- Ruined
This may apply to:
- Companies
- Finances
- Relationships
- Personal or professional plans
Sometimes, we control what goes down the drain.
We do that when we:
- Make risky investments.
- Spend money recklessly.
- Fail to nurture relationships.
- Focus only on ourselves.
Other times, we have no control.
- Banks or companies make poor decisions.
- Thieves rob us.
- People desert us.
Whether we have control or not, we lose.
Similar metaphors include:
- Down the tubes
- Down the pan
- Down the toilet
- Down the plughole
Life constantly changes.
With all its ups and downs, we look for a constant. We find that in a relationship with Jesus. Whatever the situation, Jesus remains with us and will guide us through it.
Circumstances may go down the drain. With Jesus, our eternity remains secure.
Thanks to Beckham Wilson 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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14 thoughts on “Down the Drain”
Yes ma’am. I sometimes think we Americans are both the most blessed and the most wasteful people on earth. I think of piles of extra food on our tables, the number of leftovers that sit in our fridges waiting to be thrown out, and the needless trips to and fro because “we want it now” rather than waiting and making one trip instead of six. We have sent a great deal “down the drain” because of our selfishness and wanton attitudes. Could not agree more. Perhaps if we stopped to consider the cost (there’s one for you), we might consider all the resources God provides with a bit more appreciation.
You have hit the nail on the head, J.D. If only we considered our actions more carefully, what a difference we could make.
Amen, Diana! With Jesus, we can always feel safe and protected when everything else is going down the drain.
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha. I’m so grateful for God’s presence and guidance (and forgiveness for my wasteful ways). I have received your book and look forward to reading it! Thank you for your generosity and for sharing your writing gift with the world.
As always, I love your spiritual application, Diana. Jesus is indeed our constant. Time spent with Him is never wasted!
Thank you, Tracy. Your kind words of encouragement always brighten my day. Blessings on you and yours.
Diana, I loved that you brought us back to the one sure constant – Christ. Time spent with Him never goes down the drain. It actually keeps my day from going down the drain 🙂 I love that you look at idioms. Blessings on your writing!
Thank you for your encouragement, Joanne. I love writing on idioms and finding a lesson from God through them. Blessings on your writing as well.
I stumbled upon the English phrase, “I’m feeling like a poorly cabbage.” I instantly fell in love.
I am not sure that is something you would want to work with. However, I find it endearing…and also very appropriate on some days!(insert wink here)
That’s a new one to me, Jonna. It sounds like a fun expression to explore. Thank you. I hope today is not a poorly cabbage one!
In my region, this is a common expression and it certainly expresses what happens when we’ve experienced failure, wasted effort, or acute frustration. But as you point out, putting our trust in Jesus instead of ourselves helps us avoid these “down the drain” experiences or at least, helps us recover more rapidly. Thank you for your insights and wisdom.
Thank you for your additional insights, Katherine. I pray you experience few down the drain moments. Blessings on your writing outreach.
Diana, a new friend, David Emmanuel Goatley, forwarded your article to me. I am grateful to him and to you. A Greek friend told me that the words used in Revelation 1:15, “many waters,” to describe the voice of the glorified Son of man (verse 13) refers to the sound of a waterfalls. Contrast that to the down the drain water anf the on-again-off again dripping of our faucets, and we see whose words are sure and constant. FYI, check out my latest book, “The Lion, the Church, and the Warfare.”
David, I’m so grateful to David Goatley for sharing “Down the Drain” with you. Dr. Goatley made such a positive impact on our community during his time here. Thank you for the comparison to “many waters” in Revelation 1:15. If you decide to subscribe to my blog, I hope you will offer future insights such as this one. I will look for your book. It has a C. S. Lewis ring to it.