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Get Off on the Wrong Foot

Get Off on the Wrong Foot

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Get Off on the Wrong Foot, military paradeLike 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.

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March to a Different Drummer

March to a Different Drummer

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March to a Different Drummer CU Tiger Drumline 2
Campbellsville University Photo

We all know them. Perhaps we are one of them: people who march to a different drummer. (We may also say they march to the beat of a different drummer.)

However we say it, such people are different from what society calls normal. We may see those differences in behavior, beliefs, or both. Unusual habits can appear in almost all areas, including:

  • Clothing
  • Hobbies
  • Food
  • Routines
  • Homes

Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

For some reason, most of us think we have to be the same as everyone else. That often causes no problem. Yet, on matters of importance, we must stand firm. We must risk being different. We must march to a different drummer.

Let’s be certain we choose our drummer carefully.

“I know the greatness of the Lord—that he is greater far than any other god. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it” (Psalm 135:5; 139:14 TLB).

Special thanks to Shirley Cheatham for the suggestion and to Campbellsville University for the Tiger Drumline photo .

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

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