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From Pillar to Post

From Pillar to Post

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From Pillar to Post--old fence posts beside dirt road that leads through a field with a mountain and clouds beyondOur family loves to travel from pillar to post. Beaches, mountains, and plains all beckon to us. Yet, we don’t like to change where we live. When our travels end, we want to return to the house where we’ve lived for years.

From pillar to post means from place to place.

It also means from:

  • Person to person
  • Thing to thing
  • Position to position

Similar expressions include:

From pillar to post often refers to random movement.

It may have little or no purpose. We see this in people who never:

  • Stay anywhere long
  • Keep the same job
  • Maintain relationships

Such movement often fails to bear fruit. It wastes both time and effort.

The origin of this phrase remains uncertain.

The Free Dictionary offers two theories.

  1. It may come from old style tennis courts with pillars and posts where the ball could be bounced.
  2. It may have “originally meant from whipping-post to pillory (punishment to hanging).”

Whether we go from pillar to post or stick like glue, let’s always follow the direction God gives.

“For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

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

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Well Begun Is Half Done

Well Begun Is Half Done

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Well Begun Is Half Done--Snake River float trip with Grand Tetons in backgroundMy husband and I love to travel. For years, we hopped in our car as often as possible to explore our country. However, we usually spent weeks planning the trip. We learned that well begun is half done.

We decided in advance:

  • How far we wanted to travel
  • What sights we wanted to see
  • How much time we had

We also allowed for short unplanned side trips off the beaten path.

Well begun is half done means if we begin well, we are more likely to end well.

Work begun well usually means:

  • Less work to complete
  • Increased chance for success

This holds true whether we want to:

  • Build a house
  • Write a book
  • Sell a product

If we have no idea what we need to do, we get nowhere.

We spin our wheels and accomplish nothing.

Well begun is half done also relates to our spiritual lives.

For the best life, we make the best plans. Will we focus on ourselves for our brief time on earth? Or will we choose a personal, eternal relationship with Jesus? If we follow Jesus, we receive:

  • Joy for our present journey in both good and bad times
  • Hope for a home in heaven

At the end of life’s road, nothing matters more.

 “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19 NIV).

Thanks to Joy S. Taylor for the suggestion.

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

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Can’t Beat It with a Stick

Can’t Beat It with a Stick

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Can't Beat It with a Stick-Old FaithfulOur family loves Yellowstone National Park. For a travel destination, we can’t beat it with a stick.

Consider all it offers:

  • A crystal-clear lake
  • Majestic mountains
  • Thundering waterfalls

Plus, wildlife:

  • Bison
  • Elk
  • Deer
  • Bears
  • Wolves

However, its thermal features are our favorites:

  • Mud pots
  • Geysers
  • Steam vents
  • Hot springs

That explosive power just under the earth’s surface amazes us.

Can’t beat it with a stick means nothing is better.

We can’t improve it. Definitely not fair to middling, no greater deal exists.

Sometimes, we simply say we can’t beat it. It’s excellent, as we find in:

  • The beauty and wonder of Yellowstone
  • A dependable car or truck
  • The best meal of our lives
  • A bargain at the store

More impressive than any of this is its Creator.

We stand in wonder of the beauty and bounty of our earth. Yet, imagine the One who created it.

Imagine eternity with the Creator of everything.

God promises an eternal home in heaven to everyone who follows Jesus. The apostle John describes his vision of heaven in the Bible’s book of Revelation. However, heaven’s glory remains beyond anything we can imagine.

“’What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV).

Thanks to Joe and Ann Klotz for the suggestion. Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

How the Sausage Is Made-Harriet Michael book, Glimpses of the SaviorCongratulations to Frank Cheatham, whose name was randomly selected from my mailing list to receive a free copy of Shirley Crowder and Harriet Michael’s devotional book, Glimpses of the Savior: 50 Meditations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.

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Stop and Smell the Roses

Stop and Smell the Roses

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Stop and Smell the Roses--roses and other flowers around a pool of waterMy husband and I love to travel. For years, we planned our own trips and did our own driving. We hit the trail as often as possible. I usually scheduled far more than we had time to do. However, we learned to stop and smell the roses along the way.

Our schedule was not as important as fun on the trip. We began according to plan but made changes along the way. We went off the beaten path almost every trip and are so glad we did.

To stop and smell the roses means to take time to enjoy life.

We slow down and relax. That means we:

  • Get away from our busy schedules
  • Recognize the importance of mini moments of joy.

Without breaks, stress builds.

No one can go forever. If we fail to get away, our:

  • Health suffers
  • Work becomes less productive
  • Relationships weaken

We must stop and smell the roses if we desire a good life.

Leisure time is a necessity, not a luxury. When God created the world, he set aside one day a week to rest and worship. The value of that plan remains as important now as then.

“Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone” (Zechariah 10:1 NIV).

Thanks to Karen Hart for the suggestion.

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Good to Go

Good to Go

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Good to Go--road leading to covered bridge“Are you ready?”

“Yes, we are good to go.”

When planning a trip, we like to hear that news.

Good to go means we are ready.

Excited to hit the trail, we have:

  • Prepared
  • Packed (but no excess baggage)
  • Repaired, if necessary
  • Checked and double-checked

Good to go includes more than travel.

It may refer to our:

  • Health (a return to good health)
  • Possessions (all work well)
  • Activities (ready to start or restart)
  • Work (complete and correct)

Sometimes good to go means ready to stay.

In recent days, we have stayed home, because of COVID-19. Several people call, text, or message to check on us. Questions usually include:

  • Are you okay?
  • Do you need anything?

Once I said, “We are good to go, or – in this case – stay.” What I meant was:

  • We were okay.
  • We did not need anything or to go anywhere.

In this life, let’s stay good to go, whether we stay or go. For the next life, let’s definitely get ready to go.

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:44 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Watershed Moment

Watershed Moment

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Watershed Moment: Pacific Ocean, Hwy 101The first time I saw the ocean was a watershed moment.

I realized:

  • I love to travel (especially to places off the beaten path).
  • God created an amazing world.
  • The world has more to see than I can imagine.

A watershed moment is a turning point.

It involves a:

  • Time of discovery
  • Moment of change
  • Dividing point

This expression comes from geography. According to Merriam-Webster, a watershed is “a ridge of land separating rivers and streams flowing in one direction from those flowing in the opposite direction.” It may also include the area where the divided water flows.

Watershed moments in history include:

  • Discovery of electricity
  • Invention of the telephone
  • Beginning of space travel
  • Travel by automobile

The greatest watershed moment occurred when God came to earth as a man.

Jesus did no wrong. Yet, He paid the price for our wrongs. He:

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15 NIV).

What was a watershed moment for you? Please comment below.

Thanks to Timothy Lewis for the suggestion.

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Straight and Narrow

Straight and Narrow

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Straight and Narrow--alleyTo get from one place to another, we must often follow the straight and narrow:

  • Alleys
  • Streets
  • Paths
  • Seas or rivers

Occasionally we see this expression written strait and narrow.

Some narrow sea passages are called straits.

The Strait of Gibraltar leads from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea. At one place it is only eight miles wide.

You can find more information about the Strait of Gibraltar here.

When we follow the straight and narrow, we do what we should.

That is true for our lives as well as travel.

We follow the straight and narrow when we:

  • Go the right direction
  • Follow rules or laws
  • Act right
  • Speak the truth

 We may get in trouble if we leave the straight and narrow.

Many times we:

  • Get lost
  • Lead other people the wrong way
  • Get hurt or hurt others

Life can be fun off the beaten path.  However, we want to be sure that path does not take us the wrong way.

Let’s enjoy where we go and what we do when we hit the trail. However, let’s also watch our step and go only where we should go.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 HCSB).

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

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Itchy Feet

Itchy Feet

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Itchy feet--standing on a beach, looking into the distanceDo you ever get itchy feet? I do. I want to

  • Go somewhere
  • See new sights
  • Travel the world

Itchy feet need to travel.

Ready to hit the trail, my feet want to go to:

  • A favorite place
  • Off the beaten path to explore the unknown
  • A well-known tourist attraction
  • The beach
  • A friend or relative’s home
  • The mountains
  • A peaceful place with few people
  • A special event with crowds of people
  • The desert
  • A country road in the middle of nowhere

I love to visit new states. I enjoy the culture of new countries. Occasionally I don’t care where I go. I just want to go.

What causes itchy feet?

Itchy feet have no one cause. Reasons may include:

  • Hearing about another person’s travel
  • Remembering a favorite place
  • Pictures of places never seen
  • Certain times of year

Yet, wherever I travel, I always want to return home.

A few days or weeks, and I get homesick. I miss my garden spot of the world with:

  • Family
  • Neighbors and friends
  • House
  • Church
  • Routine

Perhaps travel’s greatest benefit is learning how much I love home.

Whether home or away, I find life’s greatest joy by following God’s path.

“For the paths of the Lord are true and right.” (Hosea 14:9 TLB).

Where do your itchy feet want to go? Please comment. I may need to add your favorite spot to my bucket list.

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Hit the Trail

Hit the Trail

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Hit the TrailI’m almost always ready to hit the trail (or hit the road). Our family loves to travel. Therefore, when someone says it is time to hit the trail, I pack my luggage and go.

A friend recently hit the trail on an unexpected journey. She was out of state celebrating a baby’s birth. As she traveled home, a grandchild called. The little girl begged her grandmother to visit her in another state.

My friend had never used GPS. Neither had she traveled from where she was to where her grandchild lives. Her desire to see her grandchild outweighed her fear of the unknown. She:

  • Pulled off the road
  • Found a GPS app
  • Entered her information
  • Trusted GPS to take her where she wanted to go

She made every turn her app said to take. For two-and-one-half hours she traveled through lovely little towns. She wondered if she was receiving correct directions. Yet, she trusted GPS to lead her.

She made it to her granddaughter’s house by traveling off the beaten path.

Several times during that drive, my friend had the same thought. What if we listened to God like we do GPS? If so, we would be where we need to be.

Of course, GPS devices and apps occasionally lead us the wrong direction. God’s guidance never fails.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).

Thanks to Suellen Shaw for sharing her experience.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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