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Poor as a Church Mouse

Poor as a Church Mouse

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Poor as a Church Mouse--mouse on a fenceIf we are poor as a church mouse, we are the poorest of the poor.

We own almost nothing.

Years ago, few churches had kitchens. Therefore, if a mouse lived in a church, it had little to eat. A child might drop crumbs from a snack. Yet, that would not last long. The poor mouse might starve.

We may have times poor as a church mouse. We may also have times rich as a king.

Our happiness does not depend on what we own.

We can be poor as church mice and happy. We make do.

We can also live high on the hog, and be unhappy.

Money matters little for true meaning in life.

We find real wealth in:

  • Peace in our souls
  • Purpose for living
  • Love for God and one another
  • Hope for the future
  • Joy for every day
  • Sharing what we have with those in need

We can’t take it with us when we die. So, why not put what we own to good use now?

“Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater” (Proverbs 28:6 TLB).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott 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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Okey-dokey

Okey-dokey

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okey-dokey--flowersWe find okey-dokey spelled several ways.

  • Okie-dokie
  • Okay-doke
  • Okey-doke
  • Okee-dokee

However we spell it, the meaning remains the same.

Okey-dokey means okay.

  • It’s a fun way to agree to something or to say yes. (Will you open the door for me? Okey-dokey.)
  • It also means all is well. (How are you? Okey-dokey.) This meaning is similar to hunky-dory or fit as a fiddle.

Recently I asked a friend to do something for me. She said, “Okey-dokey,” so I knew she would do it.

I asked another friend how she was feeling. She replied, “Okey-dokey.” I knew she was not sick any longer.

Sometimes we need to say no instead of okey-dokey.

No can be a hard for some of us to say. Yet, if we fail to say no when we should, we may:

  • Agree to do something we don’t have time to do
  • Help with bad behavior
  • Do what the other people should do themselves

Sometimes we need help instead of saying we are okey-dokey.

We all feel bad occasionally. We get under the weather. Most of the time, we feel better quickly. However, we should ask for help when we need it.

What helps you feel okey-dokey?

Rainbows, waterfalls, and flowers work for me.

“If God says it’s okay, it’s okay” (Acts 10:15 MSG).

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

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Reach for the Sky

Reach for the Sky

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Reach for the sky--Devil's Tower with the sky aboveReach for the sky has two meanings.

  1. A robber tells people to hold their hands in the air by saying, “Reach for the sky.”
  2. We tell people to set high goals by saying, “Reach for the sky.”

We will focus on the second meaning.

When we look at the sky, it seems so far away.

  • The clouds float high above us.
  • Birds fly into it.
  • Children pretend to touch it.
  • Yet, how can we reach it?

When we look at goals, they may also appear far away.

  • Some goals seem greater than our ability.
  • Other people succeed while we fail.
  • We sometimes do nothing more than dream of what we want to do.

Far away does not mean impossible. 

In spite of challenges, we can reach the sky. In spite of challenges, we can reach our goals. Yet, how do we do that?

We reach goals, like most of life, one step at a time. We may never get as far as we hope. Yet, we will get closer than if we never tried. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

If we try, we may surprise ourselves. In addition to reaching our goals, we could go far beyond them.

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5 NIV).

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

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Buck Up

Buck Up

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Buck Up--sun shining above dark cloudsCheer up! Perk up! Get over it! Life is not that bad. All these mean the same thing: buck up.

Life is not usually as bad as we think.

Everything looks dark down in the dumps. We see no way out. That often results when we look the wrong way.

  • When we walk down a cave’s dark path, we see no escape.
  • When we move toward the entrance, we see the light.

We must choose to move.

The light remains there for us. We decide which way to go.

We do the same in daily life. Will we remain down in the dumps or focus on the light at the end of the tunnel?

Our circumstances may remain the same. We all go through hard times. However, we choose our mood.

  • What we tell ourselves changes our mood.
  • Our mood changes our actions.

For physical depression, we may need medical help. For a bad attitude, we need to buck up.

Remember: Every cloud has a silver lining.

“My God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28 NIV).

Thanks to Joy Taylor for the suggestion.

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

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Throw in the Towel

Throw in the Towel

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Throw in the Towel--two women at a Relay for Life eventThese cancer survivor friends refuse to throw in the towel. Life knocked them down, but they got up again. They did not quit.

Throw in the towel comes from boxing. I don’t like boxing. Yet, many expressions we use come from that sport.

When someone throws a towel into the boxing ring, that team admits defeat. To avoid further pain, they give up. They don’t want the boxer hurt any more. Because the boxer is caught between a rock and a hard place, hard choices must be made.

We may decide to throw in the towel when we:

  • Can go no further
  • Have no hope
  • Need to focus on something else

However, sometimes we throw in the towel too soon. We:

  • Give up before we try everything
  • Rely on our own strength rather than God’s
  • Need to take a break and then try again.

If we do our best, we should feel no shame when we must throw in the towel. We just don’t want to throw it in too soon.

“Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie and Karen for the photo and life example. Thanks to Emily Akin for the suggestion.

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

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Fresh Start

Fresh Start

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Fresh StartWe all need a fresh start occasionally.

  • We lose a job and need a new one.
  • We hurt someone and need forgiveness.
  • We make bad choices and need another chance.

A fresh start means a new beginning. We start over.

A fresh start gives hope. We look for better days ahead, much like:

  • Springtime arrives after a long hard winter.
  • We build a new fence after the old one falls apart.
  • New flowers bloom through dead grass and leaves.

The message of Easter offers the greatest fresh start of all. Jesus died on a cross on Friday, but he rose from the grave on Sunday. He defeated death and sin.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we receive new life. We gain God’s love, peace, hope, and joy. We still have problems, but the problems will not defeat us. In addition, we have the promise of an eternal home in heaven.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

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

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

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Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas!

We often hear this greeting during the month of December. But what does it really mean?

  • Happy holiday?
  • Enjoy a good December?
  • Have fun?

We often mean all the above. However, for those who believe in Jesus, the Christ of Christmas, it means so much more.

The word Christmas comes from the Old English “Mass of Christ.”

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, the Christ.

Many people celebrate Christmas without knowing the Christmas story. They focus on decorated trees, Santa Claus, parties, and presents. They have no idea Jesus is the greatest gift.

Jesus came to give eternal life and a home in heaven.

He offers His presence and a life filled with:

  •  Hope
  • Peace
  • Joy
  • Love

As with any gift, we can accept Jesus’ gift or reject it.

I pray that you accept Jesus’ life-changing gift this Christmas and share it with everyone you meet.

Merry Christmas! Joy to the world! The Lord has come.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) (Matthew 1:23 NIV).

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Graveyard Dead

Graveyard Dead

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Graveyard DeadDead is dead.

Graveyard dead emphasizes that fact. Someone or something died with no hope of revival and must be buried. The phrase can be used for the death of:

  • An idea
  • A business proposal
  • Animals
  • People

The redundant description clearly means:

  • No effort will help.
  • No hope exists.
  • We must say good-bye.

But is that all?

If we have no hope, why have the word?

  • One idea or proposal may not work, but we can always try another.
  • The loss of an animal doesn’t remove the good it gave.
  • Jesus promised this short life is not the end.

Claim the message of Easter. Live it every day. Hope endures!

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11 NIV).

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

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Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

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Every Cloud Has a Silver LiningAs children, my sister and I would lie flat on our backs to look at the clouds. We saw elephants, dogs, trains, candy canes … You name it, we saw it, if we looked long enough.

When the clouds brought rain showers, we danced in circles with our heads back and our mouths open. We soaked up the fun, getting soaked in the process.

But when dark clouds brought lightning and thunder, we dashed inside for safety.

Eventually the sun popped out again, and the clouds’ edges glowed! We learned early in life to look for those silver linings.

We experienced few tragedies as children. We knew when any threat did appear, we had someone to brave it with us. The belief that every cloud has a silver lining taught us to look for the good in every hardship. We learned to hope for better days ahead, each with its own special beauty.

As adults, our difficulties increased. Nevertheless, the promise of someone with us never changed.

  • We still have one another.
  • We have other family members and friends.
  • We have church family.
  • Above all, we have our loving God who promises never to leave us.

We continue to believe every cloud has a silver lining. We hold to the hope that:

  • Life’s difficulties make us stronger.
  • We can support people with similar hardships.
  • God gives strength needed for every day.
  • This life’s troubles will not last.
  • We have a home in heaven, if we trust Jesus.

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NLT).

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