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In the Middle of Nowhere

In the Middle of Nowhere

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In the Middle of NowhereI 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.

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Full of Hot Air

Full of Hot Air

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Full of Hot AirLook inside a hot air balloon. What do you see? Nothing.

The balloon is full of hot air.

The air keeps the balloon going. We hear sound as the burner keeps filling the balloon with air. However, we see nothing.

When people talk a lot but say nothing important, we say they are full of hot air.

They talk foolishness. Like the noise of the air going into the balloon, we might also say they talk to hear their heads roar.

Such people can be fun for a while, but they do us no good if we want to learn. If we desire intelligent conversation, we look for someone else.

What about us?

How often are we full of hot air?

As Abraham Lincoln said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

If we have nothing useful to add to a serious conversation, perhaps we should keep quiet.

“Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4 NRSV).

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

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Run Out of Steam

Run Out of Steam

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Run Out of SteamRun out of steam relates to old steam engines.

If engines don’t have enough steam, they slow or stop.

Although not many people rely on them today, a few steam engines still run. Colorado’s Durango-Silverton train remains a major tourist attraction. This man, waiting to board that train, relies on steam to get him where he wants to go.

Run out of gas means the same thing.

When a car or other vehicle runs out of gas, it stops. Without fuel, engines can’t keep going.

If people run out of steam, we also stop.

We lose all our energy (or interest). We can go no farther.

We run out of steam for a variety of reasons.

  • Trying to do too much
  • Not taking enough time
  • Health problems
  • Stress

Like old steam engines or modern cars, we must add fuel to keep ourselves going.

We must give our body, mind, and spirit what we need to function at our best.

Take care of yourself. You are the only you that you have.

“I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you” (3 John 1:2 NIV).

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

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Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

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Don't Toot Your Own Horn--“His Own” brass quintet
His Own Brass Quintet

We want children to develop good self-esteem. At the same time, we don’t want them to boast—to toot their own horn.. Finding the right balance between the two takes work.

Children naturally desire attention. That’s okay up to a point. However, they should not seek recognition every time they do well. They need to share attention just like they need to share toys.

Telling children (or anyone), “Don’t toot your own horn,” or “Don’t blow your own trumpet,” means they should not praise themselves. In other words, don’t brag.

No one wants to hear their endless boasting:

  • “I’m the fastest.”
  • “I’m the smartest.”
  • “I’m the prettiest.”
  • “I’m the best.”

If those statements are true, let people see it for themselves. If untrue, bragging only makes them look sad or silly.

We hurt children if we allow them to grow up with an inflated sense of their importance. Instead, let’s teach them that we all have strengths, and we all have needs. By supporting one another instead of focusing on ourselves, everyone wins.

“Don’t praise yourself; let others do it!” (Proverbs 27:2 TLB).

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

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A Hard Row to Hoe

A Hard Row to Hoe

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A Hard Row to Hoe 2A long line of plants can be a hard row to hoe.

Gazing from one end to the other, we want to give up before we start.

My parents always believed in the value of hard work. Therefore, my sister and I began gardening at an early age. I thought those garden rows would never end. Plus, Kentucky summer temperatures often reach the 90s with humidity near 100 percent.

I recall standing in the hot sun, fuming at the cruelty of it all. I pledged that once I had a home of my own, I would never plant a garden. Famous last words!

After a few years, I realized vegetables taste better when I grow my own. Not even a farmer’s market can compete.

I also learned that if I focus on the plant of the moment, I reach the end faster. It keeps me from looking ahead with dread.

That holds true for most tasks.

Focus on what needs to be done now.

Then move to the next task. Any assignment becomes more manageable and less intimidating. With steady pacing, we soon complete our work. We can then enjoy the fruit of our labor, whether it is a:

  • Fresh ear of corn
  • Good test grade
  • Clean house
  • Completed work detail

Remember: When facing any difficult task, any hard row to hoe, don’t try to tackle everything at once. Take one step at a time.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

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Don’t Get Too Big for Your Britches

Don’t Get Too Big for Your Britches

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Don't Get Too Big for Your Britches 3Don’t get too big for your britches has nothing to do with our height, weight, or the size of our pants. Rather, it warns us against having too much pride. Similar expressions tell us not to put on a high hat or act high and mighty.

When life goes well, we should certainly enjoy it. However, we don’t want to grow arrogant over our good fortune. Circumstances can quickly change.

Let’s maintain balance in our lives.

  • Celebrate success, but give credit to those who helped us succeed.
  • Enjoy financial gain but share that wealth with those in need.
  • Seek the occupation of our dreams but express appreciation for the work of others.
  • Strive for self-improvement but never at anyone else’s expense.

We all put our britches on one leg at a time.

No one deserves to be viewed as less worthy than anyone else. Likewise, no one deserves to be viewed as more worthy than others.   Let’s treat everyone with the same respect we desire.

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 NET).

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

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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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Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

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Don't Put All Your Eggs in One BasketAlthough not found in the Bible, egg hunts have become a common Easter tradition. Close to Easter seems a good time to remember we don’t put all our eggs in one basket.

As children find Easter eggs, they usually place them in brightly-colored baskets. Too many eggs make a basket overflow. Extra weight from the eggs can make a fragile basket break.

Using more than one basket, if needed, reduces the risk of losing or breaking their eggs.

Neither should we put all our eggs in one basket.

We don’t want to limit our resources to one possibility.

For a greater chance of success, we must diversify.

  • Invest money in more than one company.
  • Study more than one subject.
  • Learn more than one skill.
  • Apply to more than one school.
  • Develop more than one hobby.
  • Plan more than one vacation route.

We want to keep our options open.

If one goal fails, we have an alternative.

If our dream becomes a nightmare, we can follow a different dream.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:11 NIV).

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

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A Blessing in Disguise

A Blessing in Disguise

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Courtesy of Trevor Gosser
Courtesy of Trevor Gosser

This little guy loves cows. He’s also one of my favorite examples of a blessing in disguise.

His birth was premature and difficult. For days we didn’t know if he or his mother would live. None of our family wants to relive that experience. Yet from it, we gained countless blessings, including:

  • Closer relationships
  • Increased faith
  • Generous support from friends and strangers
  • A greater appreciation for every day

As Laura Story’s song, Blessings, reminds us, our hardest times may be blessings in disguise. Have you experienced any of the following?

  • You’re fired from a job but hired for a better one.
  • A boyfriend (or girlfriend) dumps you; then you find the love of your life.
  • You receive a bad grade or job review, so you improve your study or work habits.
  • An injury forces you to take a much needed rest.
  • You lose internet service and rediscover the joy of talking.

Whenever anything bad happens, look closely. You may find a blessing in disguise.

“I will make them and the area around My hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season—showers of blessing” (Ezekiel 34:26 HCSB).

What is your greatest blessing in disguise? Please comment below.

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Fall Apart at the Seams

Fall Apart at the Seams

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Fall Apart at the SeamsI’m a firm believer in recycling and reusing.

I want to protect the environment, and I hate waste. I try not to throw anything away. Plus, I hate to shop.

As a result, I wear clothes until they fall apart at the seams.

If the rest of the garment is okay, I stitch those seams back together and keep wearing it.

Don’t you wish all of life could be so easy?

Don’t you wish we could quickly stitch our lives back together when they fall apart at the seams? However, that’s not reality.

  • Technology changes faster than our brains can process.
  • Tragedy strikes suddenly and unmercifully.
  • Lifetime relationships shred over trivia.
  • Responsibilities grow, but time doesn’t.
  • Conflicting beliefs confuse us.

Without help, we can fall apart at the seams mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So what do we do?

“He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!” (Hebrews 1:3 MSG)

What helps you when you’re falling apart at the seams?

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