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It’s Your Nickel

It’s Your Nickel

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It's Your Nickel--wooden bowl of changeHow often do we see people throw away money? They may not actually throw cash in the trash, but they waste it. In frustration, we say, “It’s your nickel.”

Many times, money burns a hole in their pocket. They fail to save for a rainy day.

It’s your nickel means people can spend their money as they please.

We may:

  • Disagree with their choices.
  • Wish they budgeted better.
  • Caution them about their purchases.

However, they choose.

It’s your nickel expresses concern but recognizes the other people’s ownership.

Since the money is not ours, neither is the decision. If they choose to:

  • Spend money before they get it, we can’t stop them.
  • Buy luxuries rather than necessities, they live with the consequences.
  • Ignore responsibilities, regret may lie down the road.

Like everyone else, our financial decisions affect us and others.

As we save, invest, and spend, we profit or lose. We also set an example with our words and actions. With all our nickels, let’s remain wise as an owl.

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2 NIV).

Thanks to Laurel Blevins, Karen Hart, and Judy Glen Corbin for this suggestion.

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

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Up in the Air

Up in the Air

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Up in the Air--clouds cover the sun; sun rays above bare treesA friend’s car died during a recent out-of-town trip. It left her stranded on the side of the road. Her son took his car to her. The fate of her car was up in the air.

Could her car be fixed? Would she have to buy a new one? How much would either of those possibilities cost?

Up in the air means uncertain.

Something is not settled. It could change. The uncertainty may refer to such matters as:

  • Choice of school
  • Plans with friends
  • Work options
  • Food selections
  • Government decisions

Like clouds, anything up in the air floats around waiting for a decision.

 The metaphor may also refer to flying birds.

Some decisions matter little.

The choices are six of one and half a dozen of  the other. Fairly equal, either choice makes no great difference.

  • Dark chocolate or milk chocolate
  • A long walk or two short walks
  • A long book or two short books (or both)

Major decisions must be made.

Failure to decide is to decide to leave results in the hands of others. Riding the fence rarely works.

Choose well. Choose with eternal consequences in mind.

“How can men be wise? The only way to begin is by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever” (Psalm 111:10 TLB).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson and Rita Smalley for the idea.

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

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Carbon Copy

Carbon Copy

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Carbon copy--bridge reflected in water behind broken, twisted treesYoung people probably have no experience making a carbon copy. During typewriter days, we placed carbon paper between two blank sheets of paper. We then rolled all three into the typewriter. What we typed on the top sheet copied to the bottom.

Carbon paper made great copies. However, it could also make great messes. If we were not careful, we would:

  • Get ink on us and anything else it touched
  • Smear our copies, which made them hard to read

A carbon copy is an exact duplicate.

Its details are precise. It:

  • Looks the same
  • Matches perfectly
  • Reflects every feature

Like the bridge behind the tangled trees above, it is a spitting image. It remains faithful to the original in every way. If we see the copy, we understand the original.

We decide what we reflect.

Who or what influences us? Who or what do we influence? As with most of life, we choose. We then face the music – we live with the consequences of our choices.

We don’t always reflect perfectly.

Carbon paper smears. Water moves. When that happens, reflections wave. Images change.

Life gets messy. Like tangled trees, things get in our way. Yet, we keep trying. We keep working to reflect the best. In so doing, we improve.

“We can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB).

Thanks to Laurel Blevins and Karen Hart 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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Pay the Fiddler

Pay the Fiddler

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Pay the Fiddler--fiddle in case with a money containerA friend’s father often said, “The one who dances has to pay the fiddler.” That makes sense. We live with the consequences of the choices we make.

To pay the fiddler means we suffer the results of what we say or do.

To pay the piper means the same. We use these expressions most often to describe the results of bad behavior. If we get in trouble, we get punished. Our choices force us to face the music.

The same truth applies to gardening: We reap what we sow.

  • Follow the wrong crowd — get in trouble.
  • Cheat on tests — fail to learn.
  • Hurt other people — lose their trust.

When we choose the right words and actions, we enjoy better results.

  • Follow the right examples — learn the best way to live.
  • Work as we should — grow in knowledge and abilities.
  • Treat others well — build trust in relationships.

Choose well to live well.

As 2020 begins, may we always choose the best. Happy New Year!

“Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Thanks to Patty Cooper Emerson for the suggestion.

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You Made Your Bed, You Must Lie in It

You Made Your Bed, You Must Lie in It

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You Made Your Bed--bed in The Elms (R. I.)You made your bed, you must lie in it has nothing to do with making a bed. The expression focuses on behavior.

You have to live with the results of what you do.

  • Good choices bring good results.
  • Bad choices bring bad results.

If you cause problems, expect problems in your life. If you share joy, expect joy in return.

 Of course, exceptions to the rule occur. However, you usually experience the natural or logical effects of your actions. You did it, so you must live with it.

Several expressions have the same meaning.

Whether you talk about beds, gardens, music, or chickens, the message remains the same. For the best life, make the best choices.

“When you see trouble coming, don’t be stupid and walk right into it— be smart and hide” (Proverbs 22:3 CEV).

Thanks to Bonnie Alley 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 Our Bridges Behind Us

Burn Our Bridges Behind Us

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Burn Our Bridges behind UsWe can’t go back when we burn our bridges behind us.

 An army occasionally burns bridges when it does not want its enemy to follow. However, that also means the army can’t return across those bridges.

Likewise, we burn our bridges behind us when we make decisions we can’t change.

We can’t undo them, just as we can’t unscramble eggs. For example, we might:

  • Get a tattoo
  • Quit school

Our behavior can also burn our bridges behind us.

Some actions make people want us to stay away. This often happens if we:

  • Yell at our boss and quit our job
  • Get a divorce

Rather than build bridges, we destroy them.

Sometimes we can repair burned bridges or build new ones.

Yet, the situation will never be the same. We try to make it as good as possible. Much like we mend fences, we rebuild our bridges.

That may mean we:

  • Walk through water until we build a new bridge
  • Cover our tattoo or have surgery to remove it
  • Return to school as an older student
  • Apologize to our boss or spouse

Water under the bridge means the past can’t be changed. What happened in the past may or may not have been our choice. However, when we burn our bridges behind us, we make the choice. Let’s be sure we want to live with the choices we make.

“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me” (Jeremiah 15:19 NIV).

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

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Face the Music

Face the Music

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Face the MusicI love to listen to music.

Music makes me laugh, cry, dance, worship, and more. Few things in life offer as much pleasure.

I still remember the first time I saw the opening scene of The Sound of Music. I wanted to run up that mountain with Julie Andrews and sing just like her. I could probably run up the mountain. I will never sing like that.

I don’t like to face the music.

I don’t want to accept the results of my actions when I have done wrong. When other people do wrong, I usually think they should face the music. They should pay for their mistakes. Yet, I don’t want the same for myself.

However, I live with the consequences of the choices I make.

Most of the time, good choices result in a good life. Bad choices usually result in a bad life. That is not always true, but it is most of the time.

The choices I make also affect other people. I want to help them make good choices and avoid bad ones.

Likewise, I want to choose carefully the people who guide me. Although I see many examples, I choose the ones I follow.

  • Whether I have good or bad teachers, I choose my actions.
  • Whether I have good or bad friends, I choose my actions.
  • Whether I have a good or bad family, I choose my actions.

Making right choices is not always easy. When I fail, I ask God for forgiveness and thank God for a fresh start. God offers that same forgiveness and fresh start to everyone.

I pray you always enjoy beautiful music. I also pray you make good choices so you don’t have to face the music.

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19 NIV).

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

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Your Goose is Cooked

Your Goose is Cooked

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Your Goose is CookedIf you travel the Enchanted Highway in western North Dakota, you discover “Geese in Flight.” This largest scrap metal sculpture in the world stands in the middle of nothing but fields.

If your goose is cooked, you stand in the middle of nothing but trouble. You have behaved badly, and you have been discovered. Like this sculpture on a hill, you cannot hide.

Geese can be mean.

  • Some make more noise than dogs.
  • Some attack people and animals.
  • When they bite, it hurts. (Trust me. I know.)

Geese can also be helpful.

  • They produce eggs.
  • They supply down (small soft feathers) for pillows and other bedding.
  • They provide meat.
  • Because they are loud, they make good guards.
  • Some make great pets.

When a goose gets mean, it may become its owner’s next meal.

When your goose is cooked, you don’t become a meal. You do suffer the consequences of your bad behavior.

However, that suffering often serves a good purpose. It causes you to straighten up and fly right.

“They acted like fools in their rebellious ways, and suffered because of their sins” (Psalm 107:17 NET).

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We Reap What We Sow

We Reap What We Sow

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We Reap What We SowIf we sow (or plant) tomato seeds, we reap (or harvest) tomatoes. If we sow corn seeds, we reap corn. If we sow bean seeds, we reap beans. If we sow flower seeds, we reap flowers. Do you see a pattern here?

Logic tells us that we reap what we sow.

That truth applies to behavior as well as gardens.

  • If we study hard, we make better grades.
  • If we practice regularly, we improve our performance.
  • If we work well, we advance in our career.

As with most of life, exceptions occur.

We can’t guarantee that our flower seeds will sprout and grow. Bad weather, hungry animals, and other conditions may result in a poor crop year. However, we can be certain that flower seeds will produce flowers, not potatoes.

Neither can we guarantee that positive behavior will always result in positive responses. In general, however, we live with the consequences of the choices we make — we reap what we sow.

  • If we ignore the rules, we get in trouble.
  • If we follow the rules, we stay out of trouble.
  • If we frown at people, they frown back.
  • If we smile at people, they smile back.
  • If we focus on the temporary, we reap temporary rewards.
  • If we focus on the eternal, we reap eternal rewards.

Let’s sow good seed, not just for our own sake but also for the sake of others.

Remember, whether beans or behavior, we reap what we sow.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7 NIV).

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