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Water Down

Water Down

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Water Down--waterfallWhatever lies below a waterfall gets watered down quickly. The water:

  • Covers it
  • Weakens it
  • Overwhelms it

If we hike to the bottom of the waterfall, its power grabs our attention. We rarely notice other sights and sounds.

To water down means to cover or weaken something.

Surfaces we may cover with water include:

  • Yards with new grass seed
  • Clothes ready to wash
  • Houses and buildings in danger from nearby fires

We add water to weaken or dilute:

  • Soups
  • Juices or other drinks
  • Sauces

We also water down or weaken:

  • Stock values
  • Agreements
  • Laws
  • Truth

All lose worth and become less effective when we omit important information.

If we water down the truth, everyone loses.

We may not want to share hard truth. However, we need to know reality, even if we don’t like it or it hurts. Plus, people no longer trust us if we tell less than the truth. Better to stay on the up and up.

If we have not told the truth, remember confession is good for the soul. It’s never too late to turn over a new leaf.

“An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies” Proverbs 14:5 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Patton for the suggestion.

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Let Up

Let Up

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Let Up--Ice covered shrubA few years ago, everyone hoped an ice storm would soon let up. The heavy ice:

  • Covered and broke limbs on shrubs and trees
  • Downed power lines
  • Made travel impossible

Sometimes we feel like we cannot get a let up from life’s storms. When it rains, it pours. Problems overwhelm us. We reach the end of our rope.

Recent tornadoes:

  • Destroyed homes and property
  • Injured and killed people going about their daily lives
  • Damaged entire communities

To let up means to slow down or stop.

This can apply to:

  • Weather
  • Speed
  • Hard times
  • Physical, mental, or emotional pressure

This expression often applies to relationships.

  • Children want parents to let up on rules.
  • Employees want bosses to let up on work.
  • Many times, we need to let up on ourselves.

Whatever our pressures, God offers relief.

Problems do not always go away. However, God offers peace, hope, and comfort in every situation.

“We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV).

Thanks to Sue Davis Potts for the suggestion.

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Butter Up

Butter Up

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Butter Up-butter with knife and a butter moldWhen we prepare special meals or snacks, we often butter up our food to make it taste better. What would holiday meals be like without butter for the turkey, rolls, and desserts? Who wants to eat popcorn without butter during a movie? Most people find butter a pleasing addition.

Not my husband. When he was three years old, his grandmother used a mold to create a beautiful dish of butter. When he saw it on the kitchen table, he thought it was ice cream. Like most little boys would do, he found a spoon and took a bite. He still hates butter.

To butter up means to flatter or be extra nice to someone.

We usually do this before we:

  • Ask for a favor
  • Give bad news

This expression applies to most relationships.

Children butter up their parents before they ask for:

  • Money
  • A special toy or gift
  • Use of the car

Or, children may have to tell parents of :

  • Trouble they caused
  • Bad grades
  • Chores they failed to do

Students also butter up their teachers, hoping for a better grade. Employees butter up their bosses before requesting a raise.

If we do our best, we don’t have to butter up anyone.

Instead of being nice in order to get what we want, why not be nice all the time? Rather than put off bad news, why not be honest from the start? We never need to butter up if we stay on the up and up and do what we need to do.

 “You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness” (1 Thessalonians 2:5 NIV).

Thanks to Regina Graham for the suggestion.

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The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil

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The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil--old cart and carriagesOld wagons, carts, and carriages remind us that the squeaky wheel gets the oil (or grease). Their rides equal hours of fun — if the wheels work well.

However, when a wheel starts to squeak, it stands out from the others. It differs, but not in a good way. It:

  • Irritates
  • Angers
  • Makes us wish it would stop

A squeaky wheel demands attention.

No one likes that constant noise. It gets on our nerves, so we give it the attention it demands. We oil (or grease) it.

The person who complains the loudest and longest also gets the most attention.

Yet, choose carefully when to squeak and when to stay quiet.

Several situations compel us to speak up.

We should voice our concerns about:

  • Abuse or neglect
  • Serious consumer complaints
  • Obvious needs we can help

Yet, noise about everything all the time makes people avoid us.

Remember, silence can be golden. If we constantly fly off the handle, we harm ourselves as well as others.

A word to the wise: Speak up when we should make noise. Shut up when we need peace and quiet.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Proverbs 31:8 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Patton for the suggestion.

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Make No Bones About It

Make No Bones About It

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Make No Bones About It-a cup of soupWhen we serve soup, we want no bones about it. We may cook bones in our soup, but we take them out when we eat. Swallowed bones often result in a visit to the hospital.

The origin of make no bones about it is uncertain.

According to The Free Dictionary, possibilities include:

  • Boneless soup or stew
  • Dice (originally made from bones) thrown with no hesitation

Make no bones about it means to be open and honest.

We:

No one has to guess our meaning. We speak frankly.

However, we want to be honest without being mean.

The truth often hurts as much as a lie. Therefore, if a truth helps no one, let’s bite our tongue. Some words are better left unspoken.

Always speak the truth in love.

“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15 NIV).

Thanks to Margaret Bertram for the suggestion. Image by RitaE from Pixabay.

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Salt in a Wound

Salt in a Wound

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Salt in a Wound -container of saltYears ago, people treated many medical emergencies at home. One common remedy was to pour or rub salt in a wound. That solution often caused more pain than the original problem.

Salt in a wound hurts.

 Although salt (or saltwater) helps heal or sooth certain conditions, it causes damage to others. Even if it helps, salt on an open sore stings.

To pour or rub salt in a wound means to make a bad situation worse.

 Our words or actions hurt rather than help.

  • A friend loses a contest, and we praise the winner.
  • Our neighbor’s boss fires him, and we brag about our promotion.
  • A relative’s wife leaves him, and we talk about her handsome boyfriend.

Whether deliberate or not, we increase the person’s hardship, shame, or sadness.

Rather than rub salt in a wound, let’s serve as salt of the earth.

 When other people feel down in the dumps, let’s lift them up. We have the privilege to share their sorrow as well as their joy.

“Being happy-go-lucky around a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing his jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in his wounds” (Proverbs 25:20 TLB).

Thanks to Pat Childress Conner Stapp for the suggestion. Image courtesy of  Pixabay.

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Stick Like Glue

Stick Like Glue

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Stick Like Glue-Dashaway between young couple on porchMy dog Dashaway was my favorite pet. She would stick like glue anytime I went outside.

Dashaway and I became best buddies while I was in high school. Snow kept everyone home for weeks. My parents and sister had the flu, so all the house and farm chores became my responsibility. A cousin down the road milked the cows, but Dashaway and I did the rest.

When I became tuckered out, too tired to move, Dashaway nudged me with her nose. That reminded me to keep on keeping on. She knew once work was over, we could play in the snow.

After I began dating, Dashaway still stuck like glue. If my boyfriend (now husband), and I walked outside, Dashaway walked between us. When we sat on the front porch steps, Dashaway stood or sat in the middle. She loved us, and we loved her.

To stick like glue means to stay close to someone.

For people or animals, that means we want to be together all the time. We hate to be away from one another.

Other meanings include hard-to-remove items that attach to us, such as:

  • Sticky food
  • Ink
  • Grass stain

This expression may be literal or figurative.

The above are literal examples. Figurative examples include our:

  • Reputation
  • Nickname
  • Memories

Dashaway earned her reputation as a good dog. She actually had six names, with Dashaway as first of the six. Memories of our time together stick like glue in my mind.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV).

Thanks to Sharon Berry for the suggestion.

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Confession Is Good for the Soul

Confession Is Good for the Soul

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Confession Is Good for the Soul- mother kneels to comfort a crying child“Tell me the truth. You will feel better if you do. Confession is good for the soul.”

How many times have children heard those or similar words? They do something wrong and get caught red-handed. The more they try to hide their wrong, the worse they feel. If they don’t tell the truth, they get in more trouble.

Of course, the same relates to adults. Trying to hide our mistakes or deliberate evil only makes a bad situation worse. We feel guilty. Our guilt makes us sick, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Confession is good for the soul declares great truth.

When we confess, we free ourselves from:

  • Guilt
  • Shame
  • Stress

We come clean. This applies whether we commit small or large misdeeds.

Confession is good for the soul pertains to all our relationships.

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Enemies
  • Strangers

The other person may or may not forgive us. We are not responsible for their reaction. However, we are responsible for our own.

We find this truth in the Bible.

The words vary, but the truth remains the same. Its greatest application is in our relationship with God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Patton for the suggestion and the photo.

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Small Potatoes

Small Potatoes

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Small Potatoes - freshly dug potatoes of different sizesWhen gardeners dig potatoes, they usually look for lots of large ones. Small potatoes often get thrown away.

Grocery shoppers and cooks also prefer large potatoes most of the time.

Anything small or unimportant may be described as small potatoes.

 Most people consider them of little worth. In the business world, they might include:

Unfortunately, people frequently receive the small potatoes label too.

  • Children or youth
  • Older adults
  • Poor
  • Unemployed
  • Homeless
  • Disabled
  • Anyone different

Others often treat them like they are a dime a dozen.

Yet, small potatoes offer great benefits.

Freshly dug tiny potatoes taste better than larger ones. Unpeeled and cooked with fresh green beans, those small, tender spuds delight the taste buds.

Likewise, small moments, small items, and people of all sizes and backgrounds offer much. A saltshaker on our kitchen counter reads, “Happiness is found in little things.”

Never underestimate the power of the pint-sized. They may not carry great wealth or social status. However, many offer happiness neither wealth nor social status can give.

The God of creation loves everyone — a great plan for all creation to follow.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).

Thanks to Carla Purvis for the suggestion. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.

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Bite the Hand That Feeds You

Bite the Hand That Feeds You

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Bite the Hand That Feeds You-horse eating out of a handIt makes no sense to bite the hand that feeds you. Some animals who eat out of a person’s hand do. So do many people.

To bite the hand that feeds you means to hurt someone who helps you.

Rather than thank a kind person, you act cruel or rude.

Examples include:

  • Children who mistreat parents who provide for them.
  • Students who make fun of the person who helps them with homework.
  • Employees who gossip about their boss.
  • People who borrow money but never repay it or act ungrateful for it.

Eventually people pay for how they act.

Many receive a taste of their own medicine. Ungrateful children often have children who treat them the same way. They learn from what they see.

Results of biting the hand that feeds you may not be immediate. Usually, however, what goes around comes around.

Why not lend a helping hand?

Instead of hurting others, help them, no strings attached.  Help those who help you, but don’t stop there.

  • Aid others in need.
  • Show kindness to everyone.
  • Learn to love the unlovable. (Remember, we are all unlovable at times.)

“You make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done” (Psalm 92:4 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

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