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Tag: unimportant

Neither Here nor There

Neither Here nor There

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Neither Here nor There--sign post with signs "This Way" and "That Way"Many things that steal our attention are neither here nor there. They take our time but matter little or not at all.

Neither here nor there means unimportant.

The information or action:

  • Does not relate to the circumstances
  • Will not change anything

Therefore, who cares?

Think of daily activities that are neither here nor there.

  • Time on social media
  • Scrolling through television channels
  • Trying to be more important than one another

Frequent decisions are neither here nor there.

Either choice is okay, six of one and half a dozen of another. Examples include:

  • Where or what to eat
  • Which outfit to wear
  • What games to play

According to The Free Dictionary, “this term dates from the sixteenth century.”

Although not the first to use it, Shakespeare included it in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Othello.

When choices do matter, choose wisely.

  • Invest in what lasts.
  • Show respect for everyone.
  • Follow God’s direction.
  • Share God’s love.

“As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.” (Galatians 2:6 NIV).

Thanks to Rita Smalley for the suggestion. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

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Chopped Liver

Chopped Liver

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Chopped Liver--bowl of chopped chicken liverDoes anyone out there like chopped liver? I tried to eat it by:

  • Hiding it in mashed potatoes
  • Holding my nose
  • Breading it and adding spices

Nothing worked. It still tasted like liver. I know liver is good for me, but I don’t like it. I consider it a dish for the birds.

Whether we eat it or not, we sometimes feel like chopped liver.

No matter how hard we try:

  • Not everyone likes us.
  • Many overlook us.
  • Few appreciate our potential.

Chopped liver means worthless.

We judge a person or thing as:

  • Unpleasant
  • Unimportant
  • Undesirable

Emotional responses to such treatment include:

  • Sadness
  • Anger
  • Disappointment
  • Defeat
  • Frustration

A common verbal response is, “So what am I? Chopped liver?”

We may say this when:

  • We fail to get a job.
  • Friends reject us.
  • People make fun of us.

According to The Free Dictionary, this expression “likely originated as a part of Jewish humor.”

It probably refers to “chopped liver as a common side dish.”  It was “overlooked in favor of the main course.” Many people dislike its taste.

We may consider chopped liver as good only for garbage. Yet, we never want to treat one another that way.

“To love [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33 NIV).

Thanks to Joan Borton for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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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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Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill

Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill

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Make a Mountain out of a molehill--mountain reflected in waterWe often let the smallest problem bother us most.

We make a mountain out of a molehill. We make:

  • Something easy seem hard
  • A small problem seem big
  • Something unimportant seem important

Moles are small animals. So are the hills they make. Yet, we don’t like them.

  • They make a mess in yards and fields.
  • We may fall if we step on them.

However, if we watch our step, we can walk around or over molehills. We must climb for days to the top of some mountains.

Molehills destroy a yard’s beauty. A mountain’s volcano can destroy everything for miles.

We often forget how small our problems are.

Think about:

  • Colds compared to cancer
  • Flat tires compared to car wrecks
  • A bad meal compared to no food
  • A rained-out ballgame compared to an island destroyed by a storm

We may not feel on top of the world all the time. However, most days can be hunky dory.

Make a Mountain out of a MolehillLet’s not allow small problems to ruin our lives.

Rather than make a mountain out of a molehill, remember what matters most. Also remember, whether our problems are big or small, we never have to walk alone.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient” (Romans 5:3 TLB).

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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.