horse Archives - Diana Derringer

Horse Around

October 2, 2023 Diana Derringer Comments 12 comments

Our family owned a couple of horses for a brief time. We did not race them, show them, or make money from them. We simply enjoyed them. Dad bought horses for us to horse around.

To horse around means to play or waste time.

The activity has no purpose. We often horse around while we avoid work we need to do. Goofing off feels like more fun than work.

Sometimes we horse around in a rough way.

We get rowdy or aggravate others. Occasionally we hurt them. Sometimes we mean to cause their pain. Other times, our rough play causes accidents.

We can all use a little horseplay, if we don’t get too rough.

It allows us to rest our minds and have a fun time. However, when we get too rowdy, we need to hold our horses.

Enjoy life but allow others the same privilege.

Let’s keep our priorities in order.

Responsibilities come first. Then time to relax. We don’t want to put the cart before the horse.

God gives us a few years on earth. Whether working or horsing around, let’s make the most of the time we have to serve God and help one another.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture” (Psalm 37:3 NIV).

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion.

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Get Back on the Horse

August 14, 2023 Diana Derringer Comments 12 comments

Get back on the horse. That’s what we often hear if we fall. The horse may have bucked us, or we may have fallen for other reasons. Whatever the cause, we receive encouragement to try again.

My sister disagrees. As a teenager, she did not like to ride horses. A cousin convinced her to ride behind him. She did. On a trip through our orchard, he lowered his head to miss a tree branch. He forgot to tell her. That was her last horse ride.

Get back on the horse means to try again.

We don’t give up. Instead, we get up. We go another time. One failure does not mean we will always fail.

Life gets difficult for everyone. We all fall. People or circumstances hurt us. Nevertheless, we keep going.

We learn from our mistakes.

Rather than kick ourselves, we try to correct what went wrong. We don’t want to live in fear—with cold feet—all our lives.

Get back on the horse applies to every area of life.

We may:

Lose a job
Fail a test
Suffer from illness
Grieve lost friendships
Endure persecution

In every circumstance, we decide whether to shake it off or tie ourselves in knots with worry. If we don’t know how to get back on the horse, we can always rely on God for direction.

“Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV).

Thanks to Joe and Ann Klotz for the suggestion.

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High Horse

September 12, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

None of us has any reason to get on a high horse. However, when life goes well, we face the temptation to act high and mighty.

To get on a high horse means to act superior.

Years ago, people of high rank rode tall horses. That custom became a symbol of superiority.

If we are on a high horse, we believe or act like we are better than others. That may mean higher:

Morals
Power
Finances
Position

However, the higher the horse, the farther the fall.

When we look down on other people, we lower ourselves. Our highfalutin ways end up hurting rather than helping. They also make other people respect us less, not more.

If we fail or fall from a high rank, the loss hurts worse.

We want confidence but not arrogance.

To be more effective, we need to get off our high horse and work with one another.

As we learn and grow together, we become better people. Rather than look down on others, we want to lift them up.

We travel this journey of life together. Why not unite and achieve more?

That makes good horse sense. Don’t you agree?

“Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor” (Proverbs 29:23 NIV).

Thanks to Pat Childress Conner Stapp for the suggestion and to Chelsey Stone for the photo.

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Horse Sense

June 27, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

We can be sharp as a tack but not have a bit of horse sense. Education does not give us horse sense. Neither does talent. Instead, it is what we do with the knowledge, education and talent we possess.

Horse sense is common sense.

It does not require:

An impressive resume
A sophisticated lifestyle

We use wisdom in what we say and do. Sometimes that wisdom outwits the more intelligent and better educated.

With horse sense, we make practical decisions that work well.

Those decisions apply to:

Relationships
Jobs
Free time

We learn when to act and when to hold our horses.

Good decisions lead to a good life. Therefore, we want to stay wise as an owl, always ready to do what is right.

“‘Learn to be wise,’ he said, ‘and develop good judgment and common sense! I cannot overemphasize this point’” (Proverbs 4:5 TLB).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion and to Jeri Gumm Stone for the photo.

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Bite the Hand That Feeds You

March 8, 2021 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Bite the Hand That Feeds You-horse eating out of a hand It makes no sense to bite the hand that feeds you. Some animals who eat out of a person’s hand do. So do many people.

To bite the hand that feeds you means to hurt someone who helps you.

Rather than thank a kind person, you act cruel or rude.

Examples include:

Children who mistreat parents who provide for them.
Students who make fun of the person who helps them with homework.
Employees who gossip about their boss.
People who borrow money but never repay it or act ungrateful for it.

Eventually people pay for how they act.

Many receive a taste of their own medicine. Ungrateful children often have children who treat them the same way. They learn from what they see.

Results of biting the hand that feeds you may not be immediate. Usually, however, what goes around comes around.

Why not lend a helping hand?

Instead of hurting others, help them, no strings attached. Help those who help you, but don’t stop there.

Aid others in need.
Show kindness to everyone.
Learn to love the unlovable. (Remember, we are all unlovable at times.)

“You make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done” (Psalm 92:4 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

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Win by a Nose

August 29, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

To win by a nose means we barely win.

There is little difference between the winner and loser.

In horse racing, a horse often wins by a nose. Whether the first horse wins by a nose or a great distance, its owner gets the prize. The losers may win another day.

We may or may not run a physical race. Yet, we all compete for prizes:

Jobs
Grades
Gifts
Awards

Sometimes we win by a lot. Occasionally we win by a nose, barely getting the prize. Other times we lose.

We all like to win.

Yet, losing can teach us important lessons too:

Stay humble
Try harder next time
Share the joy of other people

Remember: The greatest prize in life is the gift of Jesus’ love, free to all.

“I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” (Philippians 3:14 TLB).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

June 6, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

**The right response for any gift is Thank you.**

We never want to act ungrateful. So, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Some people can tell a horse’s age by looking in its mouth. Checking a gift horse’s age is rude. So is inspecting any gift for problems. We might do that later when the gift giver is not with us. But don’t do it in the giver’s presence.

Remember a gift is a gift.

We don’t earn it. Therefore,

Be thankful for any gift.
Don’t compare it to other people’s gifts.
Don’t act like you wish for more.
Don’t worry about what it costs.
Keep an attitude of gratitude.

A gift’s price matters less than our love and concern for one another.

Give freely.
Express thanks often.
Focus on feelings, not finances.

“Always be thankful” (Colossians 3:15 NIV).

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Stubborn as a Mule

March 10, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

I can be stubborn as a mule. Just ask anyone who knows me well. I hate to admit it, but it’s true.

I know what I want.
I know what I believe.
I don’t like change.
I’m not impossible, but I am stubborn.

A mule is born from a female horse and a male donkey. They have several advantages over horses:

Mules are sure-footed — less likely to slide or stumble.
They carry heavy weight better.
They endure heat well.
They are tough and strong.

Mules are smart. They take care of themselves. If they think something is dangerous, they won’t do it. They trust themselves more than others.

Try to force a mule to do something, and you will probably lose. That’s why we call them stubborn. Help the mule see the advantage of what you want, and you win.

The more I think about it, being stubborn as a mule may not be that bad. I wonder, is that because of my research, or is it because I want it to be so? Hmmm …

“My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled” (Psalm 17:5 NIV).

Thanks to the late Jack Bruns, another self-proclaimed stubborn-as-a-mule person, for the suggestion. Thanks to Debbie Tapscott, for the photo.

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Horse of a Different Color

July 1, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Have you ever talked with someone and their response had nothing to do with what you said? They were talking about a horse of a different color.

Have you ever bought something you thought you liked? However, later you realized it was not what you bought before? You bought a horse of a different color.

Has anyone ever invited you to a gourmet meal but took you to a fast food restaurant instead? That meal was a horse of a different color.

The traditional Swedish Dala in this photo is definitely a horse of a different color. We also find one in a brief scene from the Wizard of Oz movie. Both provide fun reminders of the totally different items and experiences our world offers. Both also remind us that different does not necessarily mean bad — simply unrelated.

The following may help us adjust to every difference, whether good or bad.

Listen well.
Observe carefully.
Expect the unexpected.
Don’t stress.
Accept what helps.
Reject what harms.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17 NIV).

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