Diana Derringer Archives - Page 39 of 56

Crocodile Tears

August 6, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Crocodile Tears--crocodile in a swamp We don’t want anyone to cry crocodile tears for us. Neither do we want to cry crocodile tears for anyone else.

Crocodile tears mean false tears.

We act sad about something, but we really don’t care.

Years ago people thought crocodiles cried either:

To trap their victims
Or as they ate their victims

However, any tears crocodiles shed are not tears of sorrow. You can read more about that here.

Examples of crocodile tears include:

Saying we are sorry someone lost a job we plan to take
Crying at the funeral of someone we never liked
Acting sad we hurt someone we meant to hurt

Rather than crocodile tears, may we honestly care for one another.

Love like Jesus loves.
Live like Jesus lives.
Give like Jesus gives.
Forgive like Jesus forgives.

May we be as good as our word (and our tears).

When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow (Romans 12:15 TLB).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

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Bear Fruit

July 30, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Bear Fruit--berries on a cherry tree Do berries grow on a cherry tree? I don’t think so. Yet, this picture looks that way.

Plants bear their own kind of fruit.

Berries grow on berry vines or plants. Cherries grow on cherry trees.

People also bear fruit.

Like plants, they bear their own kind of fruit.

Farmers grow crops.
Owners of clothing stores sell clothes.
Artists create works of art.

All have their own talents. Like the berry vine on this cherry tree, people may get close to those with other talents. Yet they bear our own fruit. Few people are a jack of all trades.

To bear fruit means people have good results.

Their work ends in success.

Farmers grow good crops.
Clothing store owners sell lots of clothes.
Artists create amazing paintings or other works of art.

Whatever people’s talents, they do well to bear the best fruit possible.

Remember, people reap what they sow. Therefore, they need to put their hand to the plow, ready to do good work

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers” (Luke 6: 43-44 NIV).

Thanks to Ron and Mary Lou Rafferty for the suggestion and picture.

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Free and Clear

July 23, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

If we own something free and clear, it belongs to us.

We owe nothing for it. Many of us make house payments for years. After the final payment, our house belongs to us free and clear. That makes us feel free as a bird.

Sometimes we receive free and clear gifts.

We owe nothing for those gifts. They may come from:

Family
Friends
Neighbors
Anyone

Other times we give free and clear gifts.

When we hear of needs, we want to help. Therefore, we give and expect nothing in return.

We may also give for no special reason. We simply like to share.

Gifts may be large or small.

Many cost little or nothing, such as:

Notes
Crafts
Food
Flowers or vegetables from our gardens

People who sign up for my email list receive:

My weekly blog posts
News about my writing journey
Occasional gifts

The first email includes a link for a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days That Hurt.” I like to thank subscribers for their support. Small gifts help me do that.

God offers us the greatest gift of all.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 NIV).

What free and clear gifts do you like to give?

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Down in the Mouth

July 16, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

We all get down in the mouth sometimes.

Down in the mouth and down in the dumps mean almost the same. We feel:

Sad
Depressed
Hopeless

In the middle of smiling faces, we still feel bad.

We may be able to hide how we feel when we get down in the dumps.

Usually people know when we feel down in the mouth.

Happy faces disappear. Smiles turn upside down. We:

Frown
Cry
Have nothing good to say

Hard times often make us down in the mouth.

We have trouble with:

Relationships
Jobs
Health
Daily life
Bad news of any kind

We don’t have to stay down in the mouth.

Sure, life gets hard. We all have problems. However, good can come from the hardest times. God offers hope in both good times and bad.

Therefore, let’s remember to always:

Count our blessings
Learn from tough cookies who have gone through worse times than ours
Look to God for guidance

“My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you” (Psalm 42:6 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion and to Gosser Farms for the photo.

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

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Put Your Foot in Your Mouth

July 9, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Put Your Foot in Your Mouth--baby with foot in mouth Everyone smiles at a baby with its foot in its mouth. However, you don’t want to put your foot in your mouth as an adult.

I doubt most of you can physically get your foot to your mouth. Yet, most have probably had foot-in-your-mouth moments. You wish you had kept your mouth shut.

When you put your foot in your mouth you say something you regret.

Your words sound:

Silly
Mean
Insulting
Embarrassing

Once out of your mouth, you wish you could take those words back.

But you cannot. You end up in hot water.

Think before you speak.

Sometimes you need to bite your tongue instead of saying anything. Silence is golden more often than you realize.

Better to keep quiet than get off on the wrong foot.

“Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” (Proverbs 10:19 TLB).

Thanks to Karen Atwood for the photo.

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Free as a Bird

July 2, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

What fun to be free as a bird:

No worries
No problems
Totally free

We feel free as a bird if we are free from:

Work (Friday afternoon with the weekend ahead)
School (the beginning of summer vacation)
Marriage (if we prefer a single life)
Jail
Anything that keeps us from what we want to do

On July 4, Independence Day, the United States celebrates our country’s freedom.

The bald eagle symbolizes that freedom.

July 4 includes:

Parades
Fireworks
Cookouts
Music
Worship
And so much more

Although far from perfect, we enjoy freedoms many people have never known.

Yet, our freedom comes at great price for many.

Soldiers often go beyond the call of duty.

Many gave their lives.
Others live with physical, mental, and emotional scars from protecting the freedom we enjoy.

In honor of them, wave Old Glory high. Give thanks for the land of the free because of the brave.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV).

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Birds of a Feather Flock Together

June 25, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Birds of a feather flock together is true for people as well as birds. A flock (noun) is a group of birds, animals, or people. When birds, animals, or people flock (verb) together, they get together. They form a group.

Birds often flock with other birds like them.

They also fly together, as we see with these geese. Flocks provide safety and support.

Birds of a feather flock together means people stay with people like them.

Groups may form based on:

Interests
Beliefs
Looks
Goals
Backgrounds

People also form groups for safety and support.

Birds of a feather flock together can be a warning.

Adults warn children or youth about certain groups. Young people may see no harm. However, adults fear:

The groups’ effect on their children
Their children’s reputation when with those groups

People can learn from birds of a different feather.

To figure out one another, people must spend time together. Friendships with people of another background offer wonderful rewards. These include new:

Knowledge
Food
Music
Language
Activities

Sharing another person’s culture offers richness to any life.

Spend time with birds of a feather. Also reach out to birds in other flocks from here to Timbuktu. God created a wide, wonderful world. Enjoy all its variety.

“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork” (Job 39:13 NIV).

Thanks to Kay Emerick for the suggestion and 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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Mad as a Wet Hen

June 18, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

When we get mad as a wet hen, we get angry – very angry.

This seems like a strange expression, because most hens don’t mind getting wet. (Hen usually means a female chicken.)

We may not get mad often. Yet, most of us get mad as a wet hen or fit to be tied when people:

Hurt someone we love
Steal from us
Lie to us

Sometimes we get mad as a wet hen for no good reason. A little problem occurs, but we make a mountain out of a molehill. We usually regret that anger.

How do we act when we get mad as a wet hen?

We have several bad choices:

Fly off the handle and do something we regret
Scream like a baby
Destroy property
Hit something or someone

We also have several good choices:

Think before we act
Admit our anger
Learn how to express anger without hurting anyone
Use our anger to improve life for everyone, if possible

As with all emotions, we choose how we show anger.

May we always use it for good.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

Thanks to Pam Barnes Harlow for the photo.

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Put Our Hand to the Plow

June 11, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 13 comments

When we put our hand to the plow, we are ready to work.

Years ago farmers ran their plows behind horses or mules. When they put their hand to the plow, they usually had a full day of work.

A few people still prepare their land for planting the old way. However, most farmers today use tractors with bigger plows.

Homeplace on Green River hosts Plow Day each spring. During this festival, people watch farmers plow like they did in the good old days. They see the ground break open, ready for planting.

In the past, when seeds began to grow, farmers had hard rows to hoe. Harvest time meant more work

Most farmers today have easier ways to work. However, farming still means long, hard days.

When we put our hand to the plow, we have hard work ahead.

We may not plow fields. Yet, we face long hours with much to do.

Sometimes we put our hand to the plow for ourselves. Other times we put our hand to the plow for someone else.

Whether farmers or office workers, we can experience the joy of hard work and a job well done. At the end of those long days, most of us are ready to hit the hay.

“Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:62 NIV).

Thanks to Sarah Borders Creason for the photo from Homeplace on Green River’s 2016 Plow Day.

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

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Senior Moment

June 4, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Senior Moment--child tying string around an adult's finger Ready to sing, I stood before the crowd in my aunt’s church. However, the first words out of my mouth were, “I forgot.” At three-years-old, I had a senior moment.

Actually, I had a bad case of stage fright. That fear made me pull my skirt to my mouth and forget the words of my song.

A senior moment means we forget something or make a silly mistake.

As senior (older) adults entering our golden years, we may:

Forget where we put our glasses and then find them on top of our head
File something in a safe place and forget where that safe place is
Fail to remember a good friend’s name
Tie a string around our finger to help us remember but forget why we tied the string

As we age, we forget more often.

We can get upset about those egg-on-our-face moments, or we can laugh.

Like the people at my aunt’s church, most of us laugh. However, we want to laugh with, not at, one another. Never make fun of someone with memory problems.

Any of us can have a senior moment.

In addition to age, we forget because of:

Fear
Too much on our minds
Excitement
Illness or medication
Accidents

From seniors in high school to senior adults, we forget. Why not accept that fact and enjoy every moment?

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite 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.

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