problems Archives - Page 2 of 20

You Got This

July 15, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 14 comments

If we want to encourage people who face difficult challenges, we might say, “You got this” or “You’ve got this.” We want them to know we understand their problems. Yet, we also believe they can overcome them.

You got this means we think people can manage their troubles.

We reassure them that they:

Can do it
Have no reason to fear
Can conquer their uncertainty

We believe in their ability to do what they need to do.

You got this offers hope.

We all feel hopeless from time to time. We get discouraged, ready to give up. Yet, a pep talk from a family member or friend can work wonders. It helps us keep on keeping on.

Our present troubles will not last forever.

Instead, we look for light at the end of the tunnel. In addition, if we have placed our faith in Jesus, we look forward to a home in heaven at the end of the road.

“Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV).

Thanks to Rebecca Stafford for the suggestion.

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At Loggerheads

July 1, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

At loggerheads has nothing to do with loggerhead turtles. Although we might enjoy finding the so-ugly-they-are-cute turtles, they give no insight into the idiom. Unless they fight.

At loggerheads means in conflict.

We disagree or argue and fail to resolve the problem. Probably one of the best-known examples of conflict between families is the Hatfield and McCoy feud.

Usually no one wins when at loggerheads.

As with the Hatfields and McCoys, strong disagreement often causes great suffering on both sides including violence or death.

In addition to families, quarrels or disputes occur among:

Friends
Co-workers
Countries
Organizations

The Free Dictionary gives two possible origins for the expression.

“A ‘logger’ is a 16th-century term for a block of wood, so a ‘loggerhead’ is a blockhead or fool.”
Loggerhead is also a late 1600s term for “a long-handled iron poker with a bulb-shaped end that was heated in the fire and used to melt pitch.” This “may have been alluded to as a weapon.”

Rather than remain at loggerheads, let’s seek solutions.

Compromise when possible.
Agree with the other person when we realize we are wrong.
Stand firm when necessary.
Follow Jesus’ example of self-giving love.

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs” (Proverbs 10:12 NIV).

Thanks to Sarah Burns Hampshire for the suggestion. Photo by Amy Farías with Pexels.

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Keep Your Hair On

June 10, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 14 comments

Have you ever been in a windstorm where you felt like your hair was lifting off your head? If you wear a wig, the results can be disastrous and hilarious. You want to keep your hair on. Therefore, you hope the wind calms so your hair can do the same.

To keep your hair on means to stay calm.

People say this if you are:

Angry
Upset
Impatient
Fit to be tied

They often say it as an order. They want you to get a grip.

You hear this expression primarily in the UK.

An American equivalent is to keep your shirt on. Both expressions caution you to regain control.

Keeping your hair on helps you be your best self.

Remaining calm and patient leads to a better:

Attitude
Blood pressure
Relationship with others

I pray you stay settled and at peace.

“I have calmed and quieted myself” (Psalm 131:2 NIV).

Thanks to Victor S E Moubarak for the suggestion. Image by Petra from Pixabay.

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Hit the Roof

May 27, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

People rarely hit the roof physically. However, they frequently hit the roof emotionally.

To hit the roof means to become extremely angry or upset.

According to The Idioms, the expression refers to “being so enraged that you could actually bang your head on the roof (or ceiling) … because you feel like exploding.” Similar expressions include:

People lose their temper.

Reasons people hit the roof vary.

For example, they get angry when they:

Fail to get their way
See rules broken
Experience loss or injury
Discover betrayal

Hit the roof also refers to sharp price increases.

Goods and services grow more expensive.
Stocks rise.

If people invest money, they enjoy those increases. If they make purchases, they want the costs to remain low.

It pays to invest emotions and finances wisely.

Maintain control and do what’s right. Spend time and money productively.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31 NIV).

Thanks to Lindy Pierce for the suggestion. Image by wendy CORNIQUET from Pixabay.

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Dirt-poor

May 13, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Although I did not know it, our family was close to dirt-poor during my early childhood. In addition to our share of my grandparents’ farm, Dad bought surrounding farmland.

Dirt-poor means extremely poor.

Since we had the basics for survival, we were not extremely poor. However, we had little cash and few luxuries.

Yet, who needed luxuries? The farm provided:

Woods and fields to explore
A large yard for play
Animals, a garden, and an orchard for food and milk

We also enjoyed lots of books (We were book poor too!), games, and family time.

Our financial resources grew over the years, but I would take nothing for those early lean years.

Rather than dirt poor, many families today are house poor.

They may not have much land, but they buy large houses with large mortgages to match. Like our young family, that leaves them little extra money.

Evidence fails to support a popular internet story that dirt poor relates to dirt floors.

Although it makes an interesting story, it offers no proof.

Financial wealth holds no eternal importance.

If all we do is hoard our money, it does no good. Remember, you can’t take it with you when you die.

Whether poor as a church mouse or filthy rich, let’s use the resources we have to make our world a better place.

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” (Psalm 82:3 NIV).

Thanks to Gail Gosser for the suggestion.

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Snail’s Pace

April 29, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

A friend recently told me she has slowed to a snail’s pace after a major health episode. However, she has not given up. She keeps on keeping on.

A snail’s pace means a slow speed.

If we watch a snail, we understand the connection. It moves so slowly it almost looks like it stands still. However, that snail does move. If we watch it on a plant, we see that it likes to eat as it goes.

Life often moves at a snail’s pace.

Like my friend, health issues make us slow down. Life also feels like it crawls when:

Work takes longer than we like.
Study requires long, difficult hours.
Favorite activities are delayed.

A slower pace allows time to enjoy the moment.

We frequently move so fast, we forget to relish life’s simple pleasures. Instead of constant motion, why not:

Watch the snails, butterflies, and other sights in nature.
Take deep breaths and look around at all God gives.
Stop and listen to family and friends.
Learn to relax.

Sometimes we need to adjust our pace for the benefit of others.

Small children or the elderly may need more time. We want to match our movement to theirs. Whether fast or slow, let’s help others enjoy their moments too.

We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children” (Genesis 33:14 NIV).

Thanks to E. Pearl Anderson for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pexels.

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Hightail It

April 15, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

In our neck of the woods, we see chipmunks, squirrels, deer, and other critters hightail it across our yards.

Whether they chase food, one another, or something else, we love to watch them.

To hightail it means to go quickly.

The meaning comes from certain animals raising their tails when running. This may happen when they rush forward or run away. In both instances, they leave in a hurry.

People, as well as animals, hightail it.

We sometimes rush toward a goal. Other times, we flee from someone or something.

We hurry when late for a meeting.
Students rush from class when the bell rings.
We head for safety if dangerous weather approaches.

In old western movies, cowboys jump on their horses and hightail it out of there. They leave immediately and ride as fast as they can.

Sometimes God tells us to run. Other times, God tells us to stand firm.

When tempted to do wrong, we want to run from it. However, when tempted to back down from truth, God calls us to remain strong and courageous.

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22 NIV).

Thanks to Marita Smeathers Mantooth for the suggestion.

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A Hard Pill to Swallow

March 18, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Calcium can be a hard pill to swallow. A relative and a good friend found the task almost impossible. The relative now takes calcium in a different form. My friend required surgery when a pill became stuck.

A hard pill to swallow means an unpleasant reality.

We don’t like it, but we can’t avoid it. It is what it is. Although hard to deal with, we have no choice.

We often face circumstances that are a hard pill to swallow.

Loss of a job or failure to get a job
A relationship breakup
Financial ruin
A life-threatening diagnosis

Sometimes all we can do is accept reality and move on.

Although we can’t have what we want, we keep going. Often, our disappointment is a blessing in disguise. We discover greater options, such as:

Employment with better benefits
Strength within ourselves and stronger bonds with others
Recognition that inner peace outweighs financial gain
A new appreciation for life and good health

Find the opportunity in every hard pill to swallow.

Life is not always easy, but it can still be good. Become a tough cookie ready to tackle whatever hardship occurs.

“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:2 NIV).

Thanks to Karen Atwood and Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

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A Fine Kettle of Fish

March 11, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Whether we know it or not, we have all probably ended up in a fine kettle of fish. Life gets messy, and we suffer as a result.

A fine kettle of fish means a difficult situation.

It may be:

Awkward
Worrisome
Frustrating
Puzzling
Confusing
Unpleasant

A pretty kettle of fish means the same.

A fine kettle of fish applies to a variety of circumstances.

A few examples include:

Special plans suddenly fall apart.
People who dislike one another must work together.
Car trouble occurs in the middle of a long trip.
Unexpected bills exceed a family’s ability to pay.

This expression probably originated from a Scottish custom.

According to The Free Dictionary, a riverside picnic was called a kettle of fish. Freshly caught salmon were boiled in a kettle over an open fire. The picnics were messy, because everyone ate out of their hands.

People later applied the expression to other messy situations.

When we end up in a fine kettle of fish, we don’t have to stay there.

Our messes may be blessings in disguise. Look for the opportunities they offer.

When possible, let’s turn our messes into ministry.

We often learn the most from our hardest circumstances. In the process, we:

Grow stronger.
Discover new and better ways to live.
Learn how to help others who encounter similar problems.

“For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV).

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

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Bumfuzzled

February 26, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

All of us occasionally feel bumfuzzled. No matter what we do, we cannot find the answers we need.

We don’t know which way to turn or where to look for help. Our brains refuse to work. We are up a stump.

Bumfuzzled means confused.

We feel:

Inadequate
Frustrated
Perplexed
Anxious
Bewildered

The answer to our bumfuzzled feelings often lies within our reach.

We may simply need to wait, to let it be. For example:

If we relax, the answer frequently pops into our minds.

This happens for many of us in the middle of the night. I keep paper and pens in a bedside drawer for such moments.

Physical activity also helps.

Increased blood flow improves our brains as well as our bodies.

Our change of focus makes everything fall into place.

Confusion melts away.
Vexation turns to vision.
Purpose and meaning return.

We don’t need to sweat it when we find ourselves overwhelmed and unable to function.

However, we don’t want to stay there.

When we finally find what we need, we make a remarkable discovery. Along with the answers we sought, we also gained persistence and endurance.

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans”. (Romans 8:26)

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