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Out of Sorts

Out of Sorts

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Out of Sorts--a pile of puzzle pieces

 

Out of Sorts-Kristy HorinePlease welcome my friend Kristy Robinson Horine as today’s guest writer. Kristy and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, where she serves on staff. Kristy makes her life in Paris, Kentucky with her husband, Eric, and is mother to four children – Hanson, Anna, Emily, and Sadie. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond. She offers encouragement for each day through her book, In a Season of Mondays: A 30-Day Devotional Journal.

I knew before I came into the kitchen, I was in trouble. My daily responsibilities took longer than anticipated. I still had to put away groceries and unload the dishwasher before I could start supper. My day had not gone as planned, and I was out of sorts.

To be out of sorts means to be jumbled together or mixed up.

Sometimes, being out of sorts happens the moment our feet hit the floor in the mornings. There is no rhyme or reason for the feeling. It just happens.

Sometimes, being out of sorts happens because of other people’s decisions:

  • A child volunteers to bring cookies to an event but doesn’t tell us until the night before.
  • A co-worker drops the ball, and we are left to pick up the pieces.
  • Another driver gets distracted and crashes into our car.

Other times, being out of sorts happens because of the decisions we make:

  • We forget to unload the dishwasher at the right time.
  • We say yes to too many things.
  • We don’t communicate well, causing chaos and conflict.

Whether being out of sorts comes from within us or from others, we can still choose to act in a way that pleases God.

We find clues in one of my favorite passages in the Bible.

“Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus, that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-4 World English Bible).

Learning from this passage, we can easily get back on track, even though we find ourselves out of sorts. We can:

  • Listen to those who have been there.
  • Look at our situation with accuracy.
  • Lead others to know the truth.

What are ways you find yourself out of sorts? Can you listen, look, and lead to put things right?

Kristy Horine book--In a Season of MondaysSubscribe to receive Diana’s weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.” On September 9, 2023, one name will be randomly selected from Diana’s mailing list to also receive a free copy of Kristy’s In a Season of Mondays. If your name is already on the mailing list, you are automatically entered. Please encourage your friends to subscribe.

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

Get Back on the Horse

Get Back on the Horse

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Get Back on the Horse--horses in field behind flowering shrubsGet 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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Down the Drain

Down the Drain

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Down the Drain--waterfall between cliff wallsWe love to watch water fall into a river. However, we rarely want to watch water go down the drain. We lose that water, and it costs us.

Down the drain means wasted.

Our resources have:

  • Failed
  • Disappeared
  • Ruined

This may apply to:

  • Companies
  • Finances
  • Relationships
  • Personal or professional plans

Sometimes, we control what goes down the drain.

We do that when we:

  • Make risky investments.
  • Spend money recklessly.
  • Fail to nurture relationships.
  • Focus only on ourselves.

Other times, we have no control.

  • Banks or companies make poor decisions.
  • Thieves rob us.
  • People desert us.

Whether we have control or not, we lose.

Similar metaphors include:

  • Down the tubes
  • Down the pan
  • Down the toilet
  • Down the plughole

Life constantly changes.

With all its ups and downs, we look for a constant. We find that in a relationship with Jesus. Whatever the situation, Jesus remains with us and will guide us through it.

Circumstances may go down the drain. With Jesus, our eternity remains secure.

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

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Happy Camper

Happy Camper

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Happy Camper--Bryce CanyonWhat makes you a happy camper?

  • Vacations to national parks such as Bryce Canyon?
  • Roasting marshmallows and making smores?
  • Fishing at a local lake?
  • Attending or remembering summer camps?
  • Relaxing in the back yard after a hard day’s work?

If you are a happy camper, you are content.

You enjoy life or at least the moment.

 Contentment may occur in two ways:

  1. Based on circumstances: If everything goes as you wish, you are a happy camper. If circumstances don’t go your way, you are not.

  1. Regardless of circumstances: You may have occasional unhappy moments. However, you usually remain satisfied whatever happens.

If you never learn to be content, you will never be a happy camper.

You will often feel:

  • Angry
  • Irritable
  • Upset
  • Displeased with everyone and everything

Let God’s joy fill you with contentment.

When you find joy in life, circumstances may not always make you feel happy. However, you can be a happy camper. You experience purpose and pleasure in all life’s ups and downs, You also share God’s joy with others.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want “(Philippians 4:12 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

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Ruffled Feathers

Ruffled Feathers

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Ruffled Feathers--white bird with ruffled feathers

Notice this bird’s ruffled feathers. The bird may feel mad or scared. It may want to appear stronger if it fears attack. Or a blowing wind may have caused the feathers to stick out. It makes me think of people on bad-hair days.

If we have ruffled feathers, we feel angry or frightened.

Circumstances or people make us:

  • Annoyed
  • Upset
  • Aggravated
  • Afraid

We don’t like what they did or how they did it. They get our goat by irritating us with their words or behavior. Or they scare us.

Riled up has a similar meaning.

Occasionally we combine the two by saying, “Don’t get your feathers all riled up.” Such reactions may occur about:

  • Wars
  • Insults
  • Politics
  • Injustice
  • Negative reactions to anything or anyone we love

Rather than rile or ruffle feathers, let’s try to calm or smooth them.

Bad hair days cause no real harm. Ruffled feathers can.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9 NIV).

Thanks to Beverly Ennis for the suggestion and the photo.

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Get It Off My Chest

Get It Off My Chest

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Get It Off My Chest--Man bench pressing weights with woman coaching him

Sometimes a weightlifter tries to bench press too much. When that happens, the lifter may think or say, “Get it off my chest.”

We may not be weightlifters. However, we do occasionally need to get things off our chest.

To get it off my chest means to say something we have wanted to say a long time.

We may:

  • Confess a wrong.
  • Complain about or criticize an injustice.
  • Reveal hidden information.
  • Discuss a problem that worries us.

To get it off my chest usually results in relief.

We feel better when we let go of that excess baggage. The burden of emotional discomfort from pent-up feelings lifts.

When burdens weigh us down, seek support.

Life is too difficult to deal with on our own. Request help from:

  • Friends
  • Family
  • Support groups
  • Pastors
  • Counselors

Everyone can use extra encouragement. We never have to bear our cross alone.

Our greatest help comes from God. When we give all our lives—burdens, sins, hurts—to God, we gain a fresh start and the reassurance of God’s never-failing presence.

Thanks to Katherine Pasour for the suggestion. Photo by Michael DeMoya on Unsplash.

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Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks

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Fiddlesticks- a violin and bow on grass amid autumn leavesFiddlesticks often flies from my mouth. Not the actual bows used to play fiddles, but an expression of frustration. I say it when I:

  • Forget an important item or event.
  • Drop what I’m carrying.
  • Believe something is foolish.

Fiddlesticks expresses frustration or impatience.

It also means to be annoyed or to think something makes no sense. The situation or statement sounds or looks like garbage.

Fiddlesticks moments can change into creative ones.

We can turn our frustration or impatience into opportunity. If we don’t like the way things are, we do something about it. When we don’t have the resources we want, we use the resources we have.

For example, another little-known form of fiddlesticks exists. According to The Creole State Exhibit of Louisiana’s Living Traditions, fiddlesticks were “a traditional way of adding percussion…. As one person played the fiddle, another tapped out a rhythm on the strings.”

Wikipedia explains that the second person used “a pair of straws, sticks, or knitting needles to tap out a rhythm on the strings over the upper fingerboard (between the bow and the fiddler’s fingering hand).”

By using their existing resources, they added variety to their music.

We choose: Remain upset or adjust our circumstances.

Like the makers of the rhythmic fiddlesticks, we may have to make do with what we have. Yet, who knows what a difference we can make until we try?

“O my soul, don’t be discouraged. Don’t be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!” (Psalm 42:11 TLB).

Thanks to Laurel Blevins and Karen Hart for the suggestion. Image by Iryna Bakurskaya from Pixabay.

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Throw for a Loop

Throw for a Loop

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Throw for a Loop--roller coaster with loopsMy husband used to surprise me on a regular basis. One of his surprises literally threw me for a loop.

We visited an amusement park with friends. I was not a big roller coaster fan and usually preferred kiddie rides. However, he finally talked me into trying a bigger one.

The closer we walked toward the roller coaster, the more concerned I became.

My reaction: “That thing goes upside down!”

His response: A laugh and “It just looks that way.” He held onto my arm to keep me in line.

When we sat down and the safety bar locked in front of us, he offered to hold my hand. Both of my hands gripped the bar. I gave him an unmistakable, “No!”

Of course, the coaster did make loops. I promised myself if I ever got off that thing, I would never ride it again. And I have not.

Throw for a loop (or knock for a loop) means to shock or surprise.

 We may be confused. Someone does something totally unexpected.

Throw for a loop may involve a pleasant surprise such as a:

  • Marriage or pregnancy announcement
  • Special activity with family
  • Gift for an extended vacation

It may also involve an unpleasant shock such as:

  • Job loss
  • Health crisis
  • Divorce
  • Death

Life may throw us for a loop, but a relationship with God keeps us secure.

Whether we are on top of the world or in the pits, God remains with us. God does not always remove negative circumstances. Yet, we can keep on keeping on because of God’s peace, joy, and comfort. Hope holds secure.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion. Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay.

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Kick Myself

Kick Myself

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Kick Myself--boy posed to kickI hate to lose anything. When that happens, I could just kick myself.

My dad often quoted the proverbial “a place for everything and everything in its place.” That does make life easier. However, things occasionally get misplaced.

Kick myself means I get upset or angry about something I did or failed to do.

  • I’m frustrated.
  • I scold myself, either aloud or in my mind.
  • I’m disappointed by my actions or inactions.

 It also means to regret my behavior or failure.

Examples include when:

  • I miss an opportunity to help others.
  • My words or actions hurt anyone.
  • I forget an important occasion.

Rather than kick myself, I need to correct what I did.

I want to:

  • Search for what I lost.
  • Take advantage of future opportunities.
  • Use my words and actions to help rather than hurt.
  • Apologize for misdeeds.

No one is perfect.

As long as I am alive and kicking, I will make mistakes.

God offers a better way than to kick myself.

 When I fail to follow God’s perfect way, confession is good for the soul. God extends forgiveness and the opportunity for a fresh start when I come clean.

God offers that same opportunity to you.

“‘I turned away from God, but I was sorry afterwards. I kicked myself for my stupidity. I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in younger days.’ And the Lord replies: Ephraim is still my son, my darling child. I had to punish him, but I still love him. I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.’” (Jeremiah 31:19-20 TLB).

Thanks to Laura Lee Leathers for the suggestion and to Katherine Bonds for the photo.

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Hem and Haw

Hem and Haw

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Hem and Haw: fork in road with a sign pointing the two ways to "later" or "now"A young cousin visited our family years ago. When no one was looking, she helped herself to Mom’s perfume. Lots of perfume. Stink-you-out-of-the-house strong. When Mom asked about it, Kim chose to hem and haw.

Kim looked at the ground, the sky, and the trees. Never at Mom. Regardless of what Mom said, she responded, “I’m just tired.”

Kim did not want to answer Mom’s question. She was not caught red-handed, but she was obviously guilty.

According to The Free Dictionary, to hem and haw is “to refuse to give a definite answer.”

“‘Hem,’ similar … to … ‘ahem,’ [means] to hesitate. ‘Haw’ [means] much the same…. Combine the two, and you have someone who’s stalling for time and hoping not to have to respond any further.”

Some people simply say “hem haw.”

To hem and haw also means to act with uncertainty.

Both meanings often involve:

  • Pauses
  • Unclear speech
  • Poor eye contact
  • Vague answers
  • Frequent throat clearing (a similar sound to the expression)

Such behavior occurs when people don’t know how to answer or don’t want to answer.

Rather than a direct reply, they stall with meaningless sounds or words.

Saying “I don’t know” or “I did it” sounds better than avoiding the truth.

Honesty helps keep people out of hot water. Choose the right way now to stay out of trouble now and later.

“Speak the truth to each other” (Zechariah 8:16 NIV).

Thanks to Terrie Wilson for the suggestion. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

NOTE: While exploring related expressions, I discovered I used a similar introduction for beat around the bush. However, it works so well for both, I decided to keep it here too.

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

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