idiom Archives - Page 20 of 24

Rise from the Ashes

March 26, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Fise from the Ashes-Mount St. Helens — Mount St. Helens, July 2011

On Sunday, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens blew.

Everything disappeared under the volcano’s ash and heat.

Trees
Plants
Houses
Animals
People

Yet, soon after, life began to rise from the ashes.

Plants grew. Animals returned. The land’s rebirth amazes all who see it.

Rise from the ashes comes from a myth about a bird.

The bird burns to death and then rises from the ashes.

However, the possibility of a fresh start is no myth. Anyone can begin again after hard times.

People must decide if they will rise from the ashes.

Will they refuse to allow a bad experience to keep them down? Or will they pick up the pieces of their life and keep going.

Sometimes people recover by themselves.

They heal from:

Illness
Job loss
Death of a loved one
Theft
Failure

Other times people recover as a group.

They heal from:

School shootings
War
Business failure
Floods
Fires
Tornados
Other man-made or natural disasters

With Jesus, anyone can rise from the ashes of sin and death.

When Jesus rose from the dead that first Easter morning, He defeated sin and death.

All who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord receive:

Forgiveness of sin
New life
An eternal home in heaven
Peace in all life’s storms

Not every problem disappears, but Jesus walks with believers through every problem.

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:6 NIV).

Have you had a rise from the ashes experience? If so, please comment.

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Get Off on the Wrong Foot

March 19, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

Get Off on the Wrong Foot, military parade Like people in a military parade, we do not want to get off on the wrong foot. We want to start right.

If we get off on the wrong foot, we do not start well.

Something goes wrong from the beginning. Bad starts happen in:

Work
Play
Relationships

Correcting a bad start can be difficult.

We must work hard to make it right. As John Wooden said, “If you do not have the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?” Giving our best from the beginning makes life easier for everyone.

Correcting a bad start is possible.

Often we get off on the wrong foot by mistake. We did not mean to do it. We must work harder to correct our mistake. Yet, we can do it.

If we never made mistakes, we would not need:

Erasers
Delete buttons
The words I’m sorry

We all get off on the wrong foot sometimes.

When that happens, we want to

Come clean. Admit what we did wrong.
Face the music. Do what we must to correct the mistake.
Make a fresh start. Start over.
Forgive others when they get off on the wrong foot.

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me” (Psalm 94:18 NIV).

Thanks to Pat Stapp 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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For the Birds

January 1, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

For the Birds--ducks and geese My list of things for the birds includes:

Football
High heels
Gravy

I see little good in any of them. Neither do I understand why anyone likes them. Yet, you may enjoy all three.

Anything for the birds has little or no value.

We consider it:

Undesirable
Nonsense
A waste of time

For the birds can also mean something is:

Stupid
Boring
Frustrating
Annoying

This phrase may refer to birds picking seeds out of horse manure.

Probably none of us want to do that. I love the country and long walks in the middle of nowhere. Yet, I prefer to stay away from manure.

Although I don’t like to be near manure, it does have value. Manure provides a natural fertilizer for the soil. Some people buy it, so it is not just for the birds after all.

Perhaps we need to be careful what we consider for the birds.

What we think worthless may be a blessing in disguise.

However, I still don’t like football, high heels, or gravy.

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word” (Psalm 119:37 NIV).

Thanks to Melissa Graham for the suggestion.

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

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Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill

October 23, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

We often let the smallest problem bother us most.

We make a mountain out of a molehill. We make:

Something easy seem hard
A small problem seem big
Something unimportant seem important

Moles are small animals. So are the hills they make. Yet, we don’t like them.

They make a mess in yards and fields.
We may fall if we step on them.

However, if we watch our step, we can walk around or over molehills. We must climb for days to the top of some mountains.

Molehills destroy a yard’s beauty. A mountain’s volcano can destroy everything for miles.

We often forget how small our problems are.

Think about:

Colds compared to cancer
Flat tires compared to car wrecks
A bad meal compared to no food
A rained-out ballgame compared to an island destroyed by a storm

We may not feel on top of the world all the time. However, most days can be hunky dory.

Let’s not allow small problems to ruin our lives.

Rather than make a mountain out of a molehill, remember what matters most. Also remember, whether our problems are big or small, we never have to walk alone.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient” (Romans 5:3 TLB).

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

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Hole Up

September 25, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

If we hole up somewhere, we find a place to hide.

Sometimes people who break the law hole up. They try to hide where the police cannot find them.

Many animals hole up in trees for the winter. They gather nuts or other food before the cold, snowy days.

I always thought the old tree at top would be a great place for squirrels or an owl. I have never seen any in it. That does not mean they are not there.

However, Jenny Kuo found this squirrel holed up in a tree behind our house.

My home is my favorite place to hole up.

I prepare for cold, snowy days with:

A warm house
Favorite foods
A comfortable chair
Plenty of books

With all of those, I can enjoy hours of peace and quiet. I may be snowed under, but I am ready. I find comfort in my little garden spot of the world.

“Do you really think anyone can hide himself where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. “Do you not know that I am everywhere?” the Lord asks” (Jeremiah 23:24 NET).

What about you?

Do you have a favorite place to hole up? Please comment below.

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In Over My Head

September 11, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

In Over My Head--Acadia National Park Coastline I love to travel the coastline of Acadia National Park. However, if I enter the water, I get in over my head.

Sometimes I feel like I am in over my head with life.

I have more on my to-do list than I have time to do. I drown in work.

Also, when I try new tasks, I feel in over my head because I:

Don’t understand how to do them.
Have to spend hours or days to learn them.
Think I will never learn.

I feel like I am spinning my wheels. I want to give up.

When in over my head, I often tell myself:

I can’t do this.
I don’t know what I am doing.

When that happens, I need to get away from it all.

I need a break. My thinking must change to:

I can’t do everything, but I can do some things.
I can’t learn everything, but I can learn more than I know now.

When I focus on my problems, I feel in over my head. When I let go and let God take control, I find peace.

“God, save me! I’m in over my head” (Psalm 69:1 MSG).

How about you? What do you do when you feel you are in over your head? Please comment below.

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Straight and Narrow

August 14, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 9 comments

To get from one place to another, we must often follow the straight and narrow:

Alleys
Streets
Paths
Seas or rivers

Occasionally we see this expression written strait and narrow.

Some narrow sea passages are called straits.

The Strait of Gibraltar leads from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea. At one place it is only eight miles wide.

You can find more information about the Strait of Gibraltar here.

When we follow the straight and narrow, we do what we should.

That is true for our lives as well as travel.

We follow the straight and narrow when we:

Go the right direction
Follow rules or laws
Act right
Speak the truth

We may get in trouble if we leave the straight and narrow.

Many times we:

Get lost
Lead other people the wrong way
Get hurt or hurt others

Life can be fun off the beaten path. However, we want to be sure that path does not take us the wrong way.

Let’s enjoy where we go and what we do when we hit the trail. However, let’s also watch our step and go only where we should go.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 HCSB).

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

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On Your Toes

February 27, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

When you are on your toes, you are ready to act.

Like a dancer ready for a ballet performance
Or a runner who toes the mark before a race

Other people may keep you on your toes.

Your boss trains you and reviews your work.
A child asks you hard questions.
Teachers prepare you for a test.
Friends and family offer advice about big decisions.

You may also keep yourself on your toes.

You stay alert to what interests you most.

If you enjoy cooking, you check the latest recipes.
If you like to read, you find books by your favorite authors.
If you want to stay in good physical condition, you exercise.

You plan and prepare for the future.

If you fail to stay on your toes, you may fall flat.

However, you don’t have to stay down when you fall. Instead, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going. Who knows what the future holds?

“Make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves” (Deuteronomy 4:9 MSG).

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

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Play with Fire

February 6, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Play with Fire--child in fireman's outfit Matthew knows he should never play with fire. He does not want to get hurt. Neither does he want to hurt others.

Instead, Matthew may become a fireman when he grows up. Rather than play with fire, he hopes to prevent and put out fires.

No one should play with fire.

It is both dangerous and foolish. Most of us would never play with a physical fire. Yet, many of us play with fire in other ways. We take risks when we:

Choose bad relationships
Cheat
Disobey the law
Practice bad health habits

When we play with fire, we get burned.

We may:

Hurt or lose those we love
Gain a bad reputation
Go to jail
Suffer poor health

Instead, let’s prevent or put out fires when we can.

Let’s watch our steps, make good choices, and help others do the same.

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27 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 Tammy Seyfried.

Little Pitchers Have Big Ears

January 30, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

Little Pitchers Have Big Ears--a small pitcher The curved handle on some pitchers looks like a person’s ear. When we say little pitchers have big ears, we warn adults to be careful what they say. Children don’t need to hear it.

We may also protect children by:

Spelling words we don’t want them to hear (This works until they can spell.)
Moving where they cannot hear us

Children like to listen to adults.

When adults speak, children often become all ears. Yet, they should not hear:

Information they are too young to understand
Talk that might upset or confuse them
Words no one should ever say
Gossip

Many times children repeat what they hear.

We always want to protect children.
We don’t always want them repeating what we say.

If we choose our words wisely, we don’t have to worry who hears them.

Helpful guidelines include:

Think before we speak.
Say nothing unkind or untrue.
Don’t say it if we don’t want it repeated.

As adults, we need to remember little pitchers have big ears. Like children, we also need to mind our Ps and Qs.

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them’” (Matthew 15:10-11 NIV).

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

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