devotion Archives - Page 53 of 59

Mind Your Ps and Qs

September 8, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Sometimes parents or teachers tell children, “Mind your Ps and Qs.” Usually they mean to watch their speech or behavior. They want the children to act right – to mind their manners – to straighten up and fly right.

We need to hear that message too. How often do we:

Talk without thinking about the effect of our words?
Allow our emotions to control our behavior? We don’t feel well, so we don’t treat others well.
Embarrass ourselves by using bad manners?

One thoughtless word or deed can harm or destroy a relationship. Therefore, when we see Ps and Qs on children’s blocks, let’s remember to mind our Ps and Qs.

Think before speaking.
Think before acting.
Use proper manners.

People disagree on the origin of this phrase. It may have begun because the small (lower case) p and q look so much alike. They are the reverse (mirror image) of one another. Therefore, we must be careful when we write. We don’t want to confuse our lettters.

Likewise, we don’t want to confuse right and wrong. Whatever we do, let’s mind our Ps and Qs.

“He wanted them to be understanding, just, and fair in everything they did” (Proverbs 1:3 TLB).

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

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Fly by the Seat of Our Pants

September 1, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Paragliders often fly by the seat of their pants. They depend on wind and weather for safety and success. Those can change quickly.

Sometimes airplane pilots must also fly by the seat of their pants.

They can’t see because of bad weather.
The plane’s instruments stop working.
They hope to arrive safely on a wing and a prayer.

Like pilots and paragliders, we occasionally face new challenges or problems. We can solve those several ways.

Organize our information
Explore possible solutions
Ask experts
Fly by the seat of our pants

When we fly by the seat of our pants, we:

Have no experience or skills with the situation
Do the best we can by ourselves
Work without a plan

Many people fly by the seat of their pants and do well. Some of us end up in a mess. Often those messes cause no great harm. At times, however, we hurt ourselves and others.

With our most important decisions, let’s choose a better way.

“As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the Lord is true. He shields all who hide behind him” (2 Samuel 22:31 TLB).

Have you experienced a fly by the seat of your pants moment? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Photo courtesy of morgueFile.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

August 25, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

I don’t climb mountains. However, I know mountain climbers often find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They climb in difficult areas. Often they have few good choices.

We may not climb physical mountains. Yet, most of us face mountains of difficulty sometime in our lives. We find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. We must make hard decisions with no easy choices. Any choice causes problems.

Do we quit our job or work in unfair circumstances?
Do we pay rent or buy food?
Do we continue painful medical care or stop treatments?

We must choose what we decide is the lesser of two evils.

Aron Ralston faced such a choice after a climbing accident in 2003. He was trapped more than five days. His choice: Do I die or cut off part of my right arm. He used a dull knife to free himself.

Our choices may not be that hard. However, some choices are worse.

I wish I had an easy answer for such situations, but I don’t. I find the following helpful:

1. List the pros and cons for each choice.
2. Discuss the options with a trusted friend or relative.
3. Pray for wisdom.
4. Accept help from others.
5. Get a grip on what matters most.

I pray you face few times between a rock and a hard place.

“You have let me sink down deep in desperate problems. But you will bring me back to life again, up from the depths of the earth” (Psalm 71:20 TLB).

Have you had a rock and hard place experience? If so, please comment.

Subscribe now and receive my weekly posts by email.

Stand Out

August 18, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 9 comments

We have all seen them: those people who stand out. Something special about them demands our attention. They are like black-eyed Susan flowers surrounded by weeds and trees. We notice them first.

They may be in the middle of a crowded room. Yet, our eyes follow them. They stand out from everyone for many reasons:

Physical beauty
Laughter
Personality
Voice
Clothes
Behavior

However, if people seek attention, we soon tire of them. We don’t enjoy a constant attitude of look at me. If they focus their attention on others, we like to be around them.

The best way to stand out in a crowd is to point people to something greater than self. Standing tall and standing firm are far more important than standing out.

“Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor” (Hebrews 12:2 TLB).

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

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Make Waves

August 11, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

People sometimes warn us not to make waves. Other times, we realize we must. When we choose to make waves, we:

Rock the boat
Upset someone or something
Shock or disturb
Risk being called a trouble maker

Two truths about making waves help us decide what to do.

Waves can do great good, by:

Continuing earth’s natural flow
Calming us
Providing beauty and pleasure

Waves can also do much harm, by causing:

Ship wrecks
Drowning
Destruction of houses or communities.

Likewise, we can do great good or much harm by:

Improving or damaging our world
Correcting or increasing mistakes

Before we make waves, let’s be certain our actions make a positive difference.

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18 NIV).

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

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Get Your Ducks in a Row

August 4, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Life grows hectic if you don’t get your ducks in a row. Mine certainly does.

My desk starts to look like a mountain (or several mountains) of paper. My schedule becomes crazy. I don’t know what to do first. I need to organize – to get my ducks in a row.

Also, if you want only ducks, you need to focus on ducks. Get rid of the geese. Geese look a lot like ducks, as we see in this picture. However, geese are not ducks.

If you fail to organize, you may mistake unnecessary actions for necessary. Like geese, get rid of the unnecessary. Focus on the necessary – the ducks.

If your desk looks like mine, remove the papers you don’t need. If your schedule becomes crazy, plan only what you can do. If you don’t, you soon run out of steam.

Once you get your ducks in a row, you have everything in good order. You do what you need to do when you need to do it.

Some ducky ideas to help you organize:

Pack a day or two before trips.
Write and follow a financial budget.
Study a few days before taking a test.
Make a list of needed items before going to a store.

Then rest in the knowledge that you are starting to get your ducks in a row.

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV).

How do you get your ducks in a row? Please comment.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Sink or Swim

July 28, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Many of us have fallen into water while playing games. Others have had someone throw us into water. Either way, the question remains the same: Will we sink or swim?

Some of us learn to swim quickly from such an experience.

We have to work harder.
Our swimming may not look pretty.
Yet, we swim our way out of danger.

In rough water, the strongest swimmer struggles. A weak swimmer has a much harder time. When a strong swimmer helps a weak one, both grow stronger.

Life is like that. We meet challenges every day. Some we know how to solve with no problem. Others present difficulties we have never experienced. Either way, we sink (fail) or swim (succeed).

A few challenges may be impossible to overcome. With most, we have a choice. Will we:

Give up or try harder?
Listen to negatives or positives?
Accept our limits or grow?
Ignore people weaker than us or help them grow?

“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:26 NIV).

Have you had a sink or swim experience? If so, please comment.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Jack of All Trades

July 21, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Sometimes I would like to be a jack of all trades. I wish I could do lots of different jobs. Instead, I rely on others with all those skills.

I have a friend who can do almost anything. He is the best handyman I know. His skills include:

Plumbing
Electrical work
Yard work
Auto repair
Carpentry

You name it, he can do it. When our family has a problem, we contact him.

Calling someone a jack of all trades may be a compliment. However, calling the person a jack of all trades, master of none is definitely not a compliment. Then we’re saying the person tries to do many things but does nothing well.

However, we never know what we can do until we try.

As we try, we can evaluate our abilities. If we have certain skills, let’s do our best at them. If we lack talent in other areas, let someone else do those. If we work together and share our skills, everyone benefits.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

Thanks to Rebecca Stafford for this suggestion.

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

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

July 7, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Tunnels may get us through mountains, but the journey can be dark and scary. If we focus on light at the end of the tunnel, we find hope. That light promises an end to our dark and scary time.

Some tunnels seem to go on forever. They amaze me. How can anyone dig a hole through the middle of a mountain without getting crushed?

Yet they can.

The engineer in charge designs a plan. That plan creates a tunnel that will protect both the construction workers and the travelers. However, the design works only if everyone carefully follows the plan.

Like a tunnel, life sometimes seems dark and scary. We feel like we’re digging through a mountain of difficulties. We wonder how we will make it through without getting crushed.

God, who created us, is:

Life’s engineer, who created a perfect plan
Our source of light, who promises an end to any dark and scary time
Our hope, peace, and guidance through every difficulty

The question for each of us: Will we follow?

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

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

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

In the Middle of Nowhere

June 23, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. We lived far from stores, doctors, and other people. We drove 10 miles through hills to the nearest town. I rode a bus 17 miles to high school. Actually, I rode much farther than 17 miles. We had to travel several roads off the beaten path to pick up students. The drive took about an hour.

My sister, cousins, and I developed tough little feet when summer arrived. We preferred bare feet over shoes. The dirt and rocks on our remote country road did not slow us down.

We ran on rocks as easily as we can on today’s smooth pavement.
We picked blackberries that grew on the sides of the road.
We watched for snakes that sometimes crawled across the road.
We played games in the trees and fields around us.
We could make all the noise we wanted without disturbing the neighbors.

Yes, we lived in the middle of nowhere. Yet, it led wherever we wanted to go.

Imagination took us around the world.
Books fed us dreams for the future.
Family taught us to set high goals.

Today, many people pay huge prices to vacation in such isolated places. All I have to do is go home for a visit.

“Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praises, all you who live in earth’s remotest corners!” (Isaiah 42:10 TLB).

Do you have a favorite place in the middle of nowhere? If so, please comment.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.