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We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar

We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar

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We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar-honey in jars

We catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Set some honey near flies and watch what happens.

Nothing equals the sweet taste of honey.

Flies love it. So do people.

We don’t usually like the taste of vinegar by itself.

Think about what that teaches.

We get our needs met faster when we are polite.

Be sweet to other people.

  • Treat everyone as we want to be treated.
  • Show respect.
  • Speak and act with kindness.
  • Smile.
  • Give more than expected for good measure.

A bad attitude makes everyone feel worse.

We cannot act sour and expect everyone to treat us well. When we complain constantly, we should not expect good service.

Yet, one small act of kindness can make everyone feel and act better.

Watch what happens when a happy baby enters a room full of frowning adults. The whole room changes.

  • The baby laughs, waves, and tries to play with the adults.
  • Adults smile, wave, and play with the child.
  • Soon everyone has a great time.

We may not be sweet as a baby. However, we can be friendly. Let’s add a little joy to the lives of those we meet.

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24 NET).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

In the Doghouse

In the Doghouse

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In the DoghouseDogs (especially puppies) often get in trouble. They:

  • Dig where they should not dig. We had a puppy dig a hole to the water line in our yard.
  • Chew things they should not chew. Our neighbor’s puppy loved our shoes and caps.
  • Jump on people at all the wrong times. Paw prints never look good on our best clothes.

When dogs get in trouble, their owners may put them in the doghouse.

Most dogs rather be with people than alone in their house.

Some people spend a lot of time in the doghouse.

They get in trouble with:

  • Bosses
  • Husbands or wives
  • Parents
  • Teachers
  • Friends

Because of their bad behavior:

  • Bosses give them more work or less pay.
  • Husbands or wives don’t want to spend time with them.
  • Parents take away fun activities.
  • Teachers give bad grades.
  • Friends stop being friends.

People in the doghouse don’t enjoy living a dog’s life.

Therefore, they need to watch their steps and stay out of trouble.

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12 NIV).

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Knee High to a Grasshopper

Knee High to a Grasshopper

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Knee High to a GrasshopperMany of us love spending time with children who are knee high to a grasshopper. They are:

  • Small
  • Short
  • Still growing
  • So cute

We enjoy children’s smallness. Yet, we don’t like to feel small.

Most of us have moments we feel knee high to a grasshopper.

Because grasshoppers are so small, they appear unimportant. People pay little attention to them. Sometimes we feel unimportant. We think no one pays attention to us either. Other people appear:

  • Smarter
  • Better looking
  • More talented

We feel like low man on the totem pole.

We also feel small compared to the size of our world. How tiny we look compared to:

  • Mountains
  • Oceans
  • The sky

In addition, we feel small when we have done something wrong. We think we are:

  • Guilty
  • Worthless
  • Hopeless

Although small, both children and grasshoppers make a big difference.

 Children teach us to:

  • Have fun
  • Love
  • Trust
  • Learn

Grasshoppers destroy much we need or enjoy:

  • Gardens
  • Fields
  • Flowers

Regardless of our size, we all make a difference.

Therefore, what kind of difference will we make? Will we spread joy like children? Or will we destroy what we touch like grasshoppers?

God created our world and everything in it. Compared to God’s greatness, we all appear knee high to a grasshopper. Yet, God desires a personal relationship with each of us. How great is that?

“When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place, Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them?” (Psalm 8:3-4 NET)

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Silence is Golden

Silence is Golden

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Silence is Golden: Miller Park As my dad used to say, sometimes we need “peace and quiet and very little of that.”

Silence is golden when we need quiet rather than noise.

Life gets too loud. Talk makes us tired. We need to get away. We need rest.

During those times, silence is worth more than silver or gold.

Often this occurs when we have been:

  • Too busy
  • Around too many people
  • Focused on electronics or other time thieves

Silence is also golden when we should keep our mouths shut.

We do need to speak up to correct wrongs. We don’t need to tell everything we know.

We make a bad situation worse when we say too much. Talking when we should stay quiet makes us look foolish. It often hurts other people. Better to bite our tongue than to be a busybody.

Therefore, take breaks from life’s noise.

  • Learn to practice quietness.
  • Think before speaking.

Find a peaceful place. Let its stillness wash the worries from your mind.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 NIV).

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Afraid of His Own Shadow

Afraid of His Own Shadow

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Afraid of His Own ShadowDo you know anyone afraid of his own shadow?  He:

  • Frightens easily
  • Is afraid of almost everything
  • Has a hard time trusting anyone and anything
  • Is usually shy
  • Avoids other people, especially crowds.

No one wants to be afraid of his own shadow.

Some people make fun of a person with fears. They may bully him, which makes his fears worse. Other people feel sorry for him.

A person afraid of his own shadow needs courage.

Like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz, he wants to be strong. He may try to hide his fear by acting brave.

Children often fear their shadow when they see it the first time. Yet, there is no real reason to fear. They simply need someone to help them understand their shadow and be brave.

There is no real reason for many fears.

Like children, an adult afraid of his own shadow needs help understanding the shadows that scare him. Some problems are real. Some are not.

When a person trusts God, God promises to be with him through both good and bad (scary) times. He can stand tall, unafraid, trusting God’s love and care.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

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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?

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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).

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Mend Fences

Mend Fences

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Mend Fences-a while fence around a field, clouds overheadI love fences.

I know some people say, “Don’t fence me in,” meaning they want their freedom. I like freedom too. Still, I enjoy the beauty of fences.

  • Fences give order.
  • They look neat.
  • Sometimes they provide safety.

However, we need to mend (repair) fences occasionally.

  • Fences break.
  • They need paint.
  • Animals damage them.
  • They start leaning the wrong way.
  • They get dirty.

If we don’t mend them, they won’t stay safe, neat, orderly, and beautiful.

Occasionally we need to mend fences in our relationships.

  • We disagree, argue, or fight.
  • We neglect one another.
  • Hard times hurt us.
  • We let others lead us the wrong way.
  • We betray one another.

We mend fences when we improve our relationships.

How do we do that? We learn to:

  • Disagree without arguing or fighting
  • Spend special time together
  • Refuse to follow bad examples
  • Support one another through hard times
  • Apologize when we do wrong

Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If we take care of our relationships every day, we don’t have to spend so much time mending them. That seems a small price to pay for a safe, neat, orderly, beautiful relationship.

“Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21 NKJV).

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Good Old Days

Good Old Days

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Good Old Days--old photo of little girl holding dollSome people want life like it was years ago.

They wish for the good old days. They remember mostly good times from their past. Many desire the freedom of childhood.

The good old days were good in many ways.

  • Close family relationships
  • No need to lock doors
  • Home-cooked meals with friends
  • A more relaxed schedule

Yet, the good old days were not all good.

  • No air conditioning
  • Fewer health services
  • Poor transportation
  • No telephones or electricity in some areas

When life gets hard, people often wish for simpler times.

Much of life in the past was simpler. Plus, people get so busy with all of today’s gadgets that we forget one another.

Personal contact may be what people miss most about the good old days.

  • Taking time to talk, laugh, cry, and do nothing together
  • Looking at one another instead of cell phones or tablets
  • Asking, “How are you?” and then stopping to listen

Why can’t today become one of those good old days?

Why can’t people take time for one another? That sounds like a good plan to me. What do you think?

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NKJV).

Do you have a favorite good old days memory? If so, please comment.

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A Taste of Their Own Medicine

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

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A Taste of Their Own Medicine; child giving medicine to adultWhen people get a taste of their own medicine, they receive what they have given others. They don’t usually like it.

Medicine tastes better than it did in the past. Yet, most medicine still tastes awful. Children often fight taking it. The medicine lands on the child, adult, and anything else nearby.

Some adults pretend to taste the medicine. They act like it’s great.  They know better. Many children know better too.

When adults get sick, they receive a taste of our own medicine. What they have given, they receive. The experience makes them better. Yet, the medicine still tastes awful.

A taste of their own medicine applies to behavior as well. What people give or do to others often returns to them. What goes around comes around.

  • When people hurt others, they invite hurt.
  • If people gossip, others feel free to gossip about them.
  • If people don’t respect others, they probably won’t receive respect.

That doesn’t mean people should return evil for evil. In fact, Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

However, the truth remains: People tend to treat others the way they are treated.

Therefore:

  • To be treated well, treat others well.
  • To avoid gossip, don’t gossip.
  • To receive respect, show respect.

Kindness to others does not guarantee kind treatment in return. However, it is the right thing to do.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31 NIV).

Special thanks to Julie Posey Johnson for the photo of Ian giving Dad a taste of his own medicine.

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