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Heart of Gold

Heart of Gold

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Heart of Gold--a gold heartDo you know people who have a heart of gold? Why not honor them this Valentine’s Day?

I know most people think of romantic love on Valentine’s Day. So do I. Yet, why not show other kinds of love as well? I don’t know of any rule against that.

 People with a heart of gold give often.

They also give much. They are:

  • Kind
  • Friendly
  • Honest
  • Good natured

They give of themselves.

People with a heart of gold think of others before themselves.

They sometimes give away what they need, no strings attached. They love other people that much. Plus, they care for strangers as well as friends and family.

People with a heart of gold make good role models.

Think how wonderful the world would be if everyone showed that kind of love.

People value gold for its goodness.

Why not show caring people they are valued for their goodness too?

  • Thank them for their loving hearts.
  • Give them something they need or want
  • Give a gift to charity in their honor.
  • Hug them.
  • Take them to dinner.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 NIV).

Who do you know with a heart of gold?

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

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Little Pitchers Have Big Ears

Little Pitchers Have Big Ears

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Little Pitchers Have Big Ears--a small pitcherThe 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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Out of the Mouth of Babes

Out of the Mouth of Babes

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Out of the Mouth of Babes--Tracy Crump headshot

Please welcome my friend Tracy Crump as today’s guest writer. Tracy and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, where she frequently serves on staff. Tracy dispenses hope in her book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness. She has published 22 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and includes tips on writing for the series in her free e-newsletter, The Write Life. I highly recommend both the newsletter and book.

Out of the Mouth of Babes--streams of heavenWe can find wisdom in surprising places.

Even young children may teach us things. They often:

  • See things we don’t.
  • Look at the world in a different way.
  • Are very honest (sometimes more than we would like!).

Children’s fresh ideas may be just what we need.

One evening, my son and five-year-old granddaughter, Nellie, walked out the door. They looked up and saw beautiful thin clouds, lit with pink and orange, sweeping across the sky.

“Those are the streams of heaven,” Nellie told her daddy.

She knew what we often forget, that we can see God’s presence in the simple things.

  • A sunset
  • The touch of a friend
  • A baby’s smile

We can learn something from everyone we meet.

Don’t forget to listen to the words out of the mouth of babes.

“And [they] said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”?” (Matthew 21:16 NKJV)

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

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Eyes in the Back of Her Head

Eyes in the Back of Her Head

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Eyes in the Back of Her Head--adult femaleDoes your mom have eyes in the back of her head?

Many children think so. Of course, moms don’t have eyes in the back of their heads. Yet, they seem to know when their children have done wrong.

Children’s behaviors usually show they have disobeyed. They may:

  • Avoid their parents
  • Fail to look them in the eye
  • Say “I didn’t do it,” before parents ask if they did anything

As adults, we share some of those same behaviors.

We usually act guilty if we are guilty.

Some people hide guilt better than others. Yet, when we try to hide our guilt, we make a bad situation worse. We may:

  • Fear contact with the person we wronged
  • Change our behavior when around that person
  • Lie and lose that person’s trust

Why not choose a better way?

Then we won’t have to worry if Mom, or anyone else, has eyes in the back of her head.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13 NIV).

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

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Fall Flat

Fall Flat

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Fall Flat--Yellowstone waterfallWaterfalls in Yellowstone National Park may fall on flat land. Yet, they never fall flat. They never fail to amaze us.

When we fall flat, we fail.

We fail in a big way. Often, we say we fall flat on our face.

We all fail.

We may wish for a failure-free life, but that will never happen. Sometimes our failures are small. Other times we fail in a big way – we fall flat. We feel like we can’t win for losing.

Since we all fail, what will we do with those failures?

  • Will we stop trying?
  • Will we blame others?
  • Or will we learn from our mistakes?

Why not turn failures into opportunities?

Failures teach us what does not work. Each failure moves us one step closer to success. We may find that success when we:

  • Make small changes to what we did before
  • Take a short break to rest our brains and bodies
  • Ask other people to help us
  • Spend our time on something different

If we learn, we have not failed.

Therefore, when we fall flat, let’s get up and try again.

“You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence” (1 Corinthians 10:12 MSG).

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

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In the Dark

In the Dark

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In the Dark--Northern LightsI love the beauty of a night sky. I enjoy standing in the dark watching changes in the moon and stars.

Someday I hope to see the Northern Lights. Pictures of them give me itchy feet. I want to hit the trail and watch those amazing lights shine.

Yet, a dark night with no light can be scary.

We often live in the dark.

  1. When we do something in secret, we say we do it in the dark.
  2. In the dark also means we do not have the information we need.

We will look at the second meaning.

Sometimes we choose to keep people in the dark.

  1. We fail to give them information we know.
  2. Or, they choose not to give us information they know.

When we are in the dark, we need light. We need information to make good decisions. Life can be scary without that information.

We can light the way for one another.

We do that by sharing:

  • Information
  • Guidance
  • Concern

 The smallest light shines brightly in the dark.

  • One candle can brighten a room.
  • One star can brighten the sky.
  • One person can brighten the world.

During Christmas, we sing of Jesus bringing light into our dark world. Let’s remember to celebrate and share Jesus, the light of the world, all year long.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33 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 Pixabay.

Give of Ourselves

Give of Ourselves

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Give of Ourselves--child in Christmas boxOften the greatest gift we can give is ourselves.

To give of ourselves, we:

  • Give time
  • Show concern
  • Help others

During Christmas, we wrap gifts with paper and bows.

We buy:

  • Toys and games
  • Clothing
  • Books
  • Gift cards
  • Tools
  • Jewelry
  • Household items

We think we must:

  • Bake and make crafts
  • Shop until we drop
  • Attend parties and special events.

Yet, too often, we forget what matters most.

We get so busy giving things, we forget to give of ourselves. We

  • Neglect family
  • Have no time for friends
  • Do less than our best at work

What happened?

Isn’t the gift of self what Christmas is all about?

Jesus came as a baby to give Himself to the world. He died on the cross for the sins of the world. He offers the gift of eternal life to everyone. However, each person must choose to accept this greatest gift.

“I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that come from Christ Jesus” (Philemon 6 TLB).

What is the greatest gift you ever received? Please comment.

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Thanks to Ashley Claunch and Megan Wollmann for the photo.

Itchy Feet

Itchy Feet

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Itchy feet--standing on a beach, looking into the distanceDo you ever get itchy feet? I do. I want to

  • Go somewhere
  • See new sights
  • Travel the world

Itchy feet need to travel.

Ready to hit the trail, my feet want to go to:

  • A favorite place
  • Off the beaten path to explore the unknown
  • A well-known tourist attraction
  • The beach
  • A friend or relative’s home
  • The mountains
  • A peaceful place with few people
  • A special event with crowds of people
  • The desert
  • A country road in the middle of nowhere

I love to visit new states. I enjoy the culture of new countries. Occasionally I don’t care where I go. I just want to go.

What causes itchy feet?

Itchy feet have no one cause. Reasons may include:

  • Hearing about another person’s travel
  • Remembering a favorite place
  • Pictures of places never seen
  • Certain times of year

Yet, wherever I travel, I always want to return home.

A few days or weeks, and I get homesick. I miss my garden spot of the world with:

  • Family
  • Neighbors and friends
  • House
  • Church
  • Routine

Perhaps travel’s greatest benefit is learning how much I love home.

Whether home or away, I find life’s greatest joy by following God’s path.

“For the paths of the Lord are true and right.” (Hosea 14:9 TLB).

Where do your itchy feet want to go? Please comment. I may need to add your favorite spot to my bucket list.

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In a Nutshell

In a Nutshell

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In a Nutshell--a cluster of pecansNot much fits in a nutshell.

Look at the size of pecans, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, or any other nut. Little fits in the shell other than a nut.

Few written words would fit in a nutshell. Therefore, when we ask for information in a nutshell, we want that information:

  • Short
  • Simple
  • Easy to understand

In a Nutshell 3--shelled nutsWe find the most important part in a nutshell.

The shell is useful. Yet, most of us throw away an empty shell. We want the best – that little bit of nut inside.

The same is true for our words. Why use 50 words when we can say what matters most with five? We want the main point – the bottom line.

Too many words put us to sleep or make us tired. If we don’t need them, why use them?

Of course, we sometimes want more detail.

  • We read or talk for fun.
  • We need to learn all we can about a subject.
  • A small amount of information makes us desire more.

Jesus’ message to the world, in a nutshell, is:

  • Love God.
  • Love one another.

To learn more about that message, we read the Bible.

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27 NIV).

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

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Talk Turkey

Talk Turkey

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Talk TurkeyWe talk turkey a lot during Thanksgiving.

We discuss:

  • Buying turkeys
  • Baking turkeys
  • Stuffing turkeys
  • Eating turkeys
  • What to do with leftover turkey

We talk turkey any time of year when we discuss a problem.

As we talk, we:

  • Get serious about the problem and try to solve it
  • Speak in clear language
  • Focus on what needs to be said

Many times we know something is wrong but do nothing about it. We ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Often it only gets worse the longer we wait. We become worry warts who get nothing done.

Talking turkey is not always easy.

Like a kitchen after a Thanksgiving meal, life gets messy. If we want to clean up our mess, we need to tackle it.

  • Talk about what is wrong.
  • Do what we can to make it right.

Talking turkey usually makes life better.

We don’t talk turkey to quarrel. We talk turkey to:

  • Solve our problems
  • Get business done
  • Get along better with one another.

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel” (Proverbs 15:18 NIV).

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

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Image courtesy of Pixabay.