trust Archives - Diana Derringer

Water Down

January 31, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 11 comments

Whatever 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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Right as Rain

January 10, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Like a gentle rain on a hot, dry day, some things feel right as rain. Plants need refreshment, and so do people. After a long, dry spell of trouble, we love calm showers of peace.

Right as rain often means life is all right.

We enjoy:

Good or improved health
Everything working as it should

We feel well. Problems are solved. Work is complete.

Right as rain also means something is correct.

We give the right answers on a test.
Our work meets or exceeds requirements.

At times, right as rain means dependable.

People are as good as their word. We can take what they say to the bank. Regardless of their circumstances, rain or shine, they do what is right.

God offers a good, correct, and dependable life.

That does not mean everything always goes as we hope. It does mean everything will eventually work out.

Sooner or later, people fail. God never has and never will. We can trust God with our lives and our futures.

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants” (Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV).

Thanks to Regina Graham for the suggestion.

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On Cloud Nine

March 29, 2021 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

On Cloud Nine--clouds and sun rays We love life on cloud nine. Something wonderful happens, and we feel on top of the world.

On cloud nine, we experience extreme happiness.

We burst with joy because of those special moments.

Graduation after years of hard work and study
A job promotion
Marriage to the love of our life
The birth of a long-awaited child or grandchild
Cure from serious illness

Opinions vary on the origin of on cloud nine.

According to The Phrase Finder and The Free Dictionary, possible explanations relate to:

Classifications of clouds by the United States Weather Bureau
Stages of enlightenment in Buddhism
Nine as a mystical number

Other explanations also exist. The Phrase Finder says the phrase probably began as a “‘head in the clouds’ dreaminess” rather than happiness.

Whether on cloud nine or down in the dumps, life can be good.

A good life does not depend upon circumstances, clouds, personal enlightenment, or numbers. Rather, it comes from Jesus’ offer of eternal love, hope, peace, and joy if we trust in Him. That is the promise of Easter.

^“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion.

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Consider the Source

May 6, 2019 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Before we trust anyone or anything, we consider the source.

We do not want to:

Eat food from a garbage can
Buy a car from a junk store
Drink water from a lake filled with salt

We usually trust what was good, safe, and trustworthy in the past.

However, if anything has not been good, safe, or trustworthy, we do not trust them now.

The same applies to people.

Have they:

Made many mistakes? If so, we will not ask their help.
Proved themselves trustworthy? If so, we usually trust them.
Hurt others? If so, we fear they may hurt us.

Consider the source is often a warning.

It tells us to be careful.

That person has been wrong in the past.
He cannot be taken seriously.
Do not believe him.
He may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing or a snake in the grass.

If we want others to trust us, we must prove worthy of their trust.

We build a reputation by every:

Choice we make
Action we take
Word we say
Attitude we show

May others always know us as a source worthy of their trust – as good as our word.

“What a wonderful God we have—he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 TLB).

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion

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A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

July 17, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing--sheep on a mountain We read about a wolf in sheep’s clothing in Aesop’s Fables and the Bible. Both show the danger of an enemy who looks like a friend.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing looks harmless.

The sheep skin disguises the wolf. However, looks can deceive.

The wolf is not a sheep.
The wolf is still a wolf.

People with evil plans can look or sound harmless.

They hide their true colors and pretend to be friends. They:

Dress well
Speak with kindness
Act helpful

Yet, they are dangerous. They still have evil plans.

Wolves in sheep’s clothing can be found almost everywhere:

Work
Church
Families
Politics
Sports
School

Scams occur every day. They come to us through:

Telephone
Mail
Visits
Internet

As a result, we must be careful.

We want to love and be kind to everyone. We want to trust people. At the same time, we must not accept what we know is false.

Be prepared. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Learn right from wrong.
If something does not sound right, check it out.

God gave us brains. We need to use them.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15 NIV).

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Photos courtesy of Pixabay.

Cross a Bridge When We Come to It

June 19, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

Everyone knows we cross a bridge when we come to it.

Not before we come to it.
Not after we come to it.

We cross only when we come to it.

We understand that about physical bridges. We often forget that truth in our personal lives.

We cross a bridge when we come to it by dealing with life as it happens.

We don’t worry about something before it happens.

If it never happens, we worried for nothing.
If it does happen, worry did not stop it.

Instead, we handle each moment as it comes. We plan and prepare, but we don’t worry. We don’t borrow trouble or tie ourselves in knots.

Prayer prepares us to cross a bridge when we come to it.

Rather than becoming a worry wart, we ask God to lead us. The Goddard Covered Bridge in Fleming County, Kentucky, shows that well. When we look beside the bridge or through it, we see a small country church. That church, like so many others, reminds us to trust God.

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV)

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Knee High to a Grasshopper

May 29, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Many 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.

Afraid of His Own Shadow

March 6, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Do 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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Snake in the Grass

October 24, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

I don’t like to get too close to a snake in the grass.

I’m not afraid of most snakes. They help keep mice away. However, I don’t want snakes to hide in my yard.

A few snakes can kill with their bites. I am afraid of them.

I prefer not having a person who is a snake in the grass near me either.

A snake in the grass cannot be trusted. That person will:

Cheat
Lie
Steal
Hurt others to get what he or she wants

Like a dangerous snake (animal) hiding in the grass, a snake in the grass person tries to hide bad behavior. The person attacks or hurts others when they least expect it.

God offers a better way.

I pray that everyone who tries to trick and hurt others will choose God’s way. Just as God forgives me when I confess my wrongs, God will also forgive them. Sometimes we all need a fresh start.

“Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7 NIV).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

As Good as Their Word

June 13, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

Years ago, people made many business deals with a handshake.

They were as good as their word. Their word — what they said — required no paperwork. They signed no contract. They hired no lawyer.

Everyone knew who was as good as their word. One of the greatest compliments was to be called an honest person.

Our world today has grown complicated.

Almost everyone uses contracts. Courts stay busy because people break contracts. Many people look for legal ways to avoid their responsibilities. Sometimes they get caught red-handed

Let’s win trust back.

Instead of avoiding the truth, let’s honor our word.
Instead of making excuses for our actions, let’s apologize when wrong.
Instead of helping only ourselves, let’s help one another.

We still have people as good as their word. Let’s join them.

Together we can:

Rebuild trust in one another.
Earn honest reputations.
Serve as positive examples for children and youth.

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment” (Proverbs 12:19).

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