talents Archives - Diana Derringer

In My Wheelhouse

April 8, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Miguel Mendez said when he was a child, he and his dad worked on cars together. When Miguel asked how he knew certain things, his dad would say, “It’s in my wheelhouse.” He was familiar and comfortable with what he did.

In my wheelhouse means something matches our skills or interests.

Miguel’s dad understood cars. Other people understand electronics, agriculture, or additional specialties.

What’s in my wheelhouse differs from yours.

We vary in our skills and interests. Many situations fall outside my ability to deal with them. I’m thankful for talented people who help when my:

Laptop has problems
Car needs service
Roof leaks

These and more require the aid of specialists in those areas.

However, if we study, our talents grow.

With hard work, we increase our expertise.

A wheelhouse is a pilothouse on a boat.

A pilothouse includes the wheel, compass, and other navigation equipment.

According to Miriam Webster dictionary, a wheelhouse also means “a place or center of control or leadership.”

In addition, it refers to “the section of the strike zone where it is easiest for the [baseball] batter to hit the ball well.”

We can use our wheelhouse to help others.

We grow as we:

Gain new experiences
Study
Read our Bibles
Tackle new challenges

When those we know need help, our gains become theirs as we share and encourage.

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25 NIV).

Thanks to Miguel Mendez for the suggestion. Image by Michael Drummond from Pixabay.

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More than One Way to Skin a Cat

October 12, 2020 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

More than one way to skin a cat sounds cruel. We don’t want our cute, fur-covered pets to suffer.

However, many of us grew up climbing trees or playing on swing sets or horizontal bars. We learned to skin cats without a single pet around. We hung by our hands and lifted our feet and legs between our arms. Then we reversed that position.

More than one way to skin a cat means more than one way to reach a goal.

Simple examples include different ways to:

Bake a cake
Grow a garden
Study for a test

We learn and work based on our personal skills and interests.

I learn and work better with words.
My husband prefers math.

We figure out how to do our best work. Sometimes we do well and hit the bull’s eye. Other times our efforts fall short of what we hope.

Whatever our skills or our results, let’s aim for the best way to do whatever we do.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” (Colossians 1:9 NIV).

Thanks to Tillie Cowherd for the suggestion and to Karen Atwood for the photo.

Adventures in Fatherhood book cover Congratulations to Stephen Russell, whose name was drawn from my mailing list for a free copy of Adventures in Fatherhood by Carlton Hughes and Holland Webb.

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Bear Fruit

July 30, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Bear Fruit--berries on a cherry tree Do berries grow on a cherry tree? I don’t think so. Yet, this picture looks that way.

Plants bear their own kind of fruit.

Berries grow on berry vines or plants. Cherries grow on cherry trees.

People also bear fruit.

Like plants, they bear their own kind of fruit.

Farmers grow crops.
Owners of clothing stores sell clothes.
Artists create works of art.

All have their own talents. Like the berry vine on this cherry tree, people may get close to those with other talents. Yet they bear our own fruit. Few people are a jack of all trades.

To bear fruit means people have good results.

Their work ends in success.

Farmers grow good crops.
Clothing store owners sell lots of clothes.
Artists create amazing paintings or other works of art.

Whatever people’s talents, they do well to bear the best fruit possible.

Remember, people reap what they sow. Therefore, they need to put their hand to the plow, ready to do good work

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers” (Luke 6: 43-44 NIV).

Thanks to Ron and Mary Lou Rafferty for the suggestion and picture.

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Green Thumb

July 4, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

My friend Carolyn’s husband has a green thumb.

Tim grows beautiful flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants. His flower garden amazes me. In the middle of his garden stands an American flag. The flag serves as a symbol of the freedom we celebrate each July 4.

My thumb is definitely not green.

Most of my plants get sick and die. Therefore, I grow flowers that require little or no care.

In spite of my lack of talent, I admire the beauty of other people’s plants.

I may not know the plants’ names.
I may not be able to grow them.
However, I can enjoy them.

I am thankful for people with a green thumb. I am also thankful I don’t need a green thumb to be used in other ways.

God gives each of us our own special talents.

Like Tim’s flowers, we are all different. Yet, we can all be beautiful in our own way.

Some people work well with numbers.
Others work well with people.
Some are great planners.

Whatever our talents, green thumb or not, let’s bloom where we are planted.

“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:11 NIV).

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