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In a Pickle

In a Pickle

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In a Pickle--two shelves of assorted picklesA friend recently said, “I don’t like to put you in a pickle.” She did not want her plans to cause me trouble.

In a pickle means in a difficult situation.

Similar expressions include in a jam or in hot water.

We often end up in a pickle or in a jam through no fault of our own.

  • Circumstances work against us.
  • People’s actions hurt us.
  • Weather destroys our property.
  • Sickness strikes our family.

We have no control over those situations.

Occasionally we get ourselves in a pickle or in hot water.

Our actions work against us when we:

  • Mistreat others
  • Break laws or rules
  • Refuse to work

Sometimes we add words to this expression.

Examples include:

  • In a pretty pickle.
  • In a right pickle.
  • In a real pickle.

However we say it, we get in a mess.

Simple steps may help us out of our messes.

  • Request help from friends, family, or coworkers.
  • Apologize for mistakes.
  • Pray for God’s guidance.

“I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can. Lord, don’t let me make a mess of things” (Psalm 119:31 TLB).

Thanks to Rita Smalley for the suggestion and to Gail Gosser for the photo.

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Bring Home the Bacon

Bring Home the Bacon

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Bring Home the Bacon--children chasing a greased pigYears ago, a husband’s job was to bring home the bacon. Wives took care of the home and children. Today, they often share those responsibilities.

To bring home the bacon means to earn money.

In most cases, the person:

  • Has a job
  • Receives a salary
  • Provides for the family or others

Bring home the bacon also means to be successful.

The person wins or achieves desired results. That holds true in both employment and sports. The bacon may include:

  • A prize
  • Position
  • Money

Two possible origins frequently appear for this expression.

  1. In greased pig contests, whoever catches the pig often receives it as a prize. That occurs at county fairs and other special events.
  2. In the twelfth century, people who proved devotion to their marriage were awarded a pig.

Hard work offers great rewards.

Bringing home the bacon in the form of a paycheck is nice, but so is the satisfaction of a job well done. Everyone benefits from quality work. The fruit of good labor is sweet indeed.

“That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:13 NIV).

Thanks to Gail Gosser for the suggestion and to Charlie VanLeuven, editor of The Casey County News for the photo.

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Hurkle-durkle

Hurkle-durkle

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Hurkle-durkle--sleeping baby with open hand against faceThis little guy knows how to hurkle-durkle. We could all probably take a lesson from him.

I had never heard this expression until recently. However, it has become popular on social media.

What is hurkle-durkle?

According to a Good Housekeeping article by Arricca Elin SanSone, hurkle-durkle is a Scottish expression. It means “to lie in bed or to lounge after it’s time to get up or go to work.”

It allows extra time to rest and relax before starting the day.

Is hurkle-durkle a good practice?

Yes and no.

We all need more rest occasionally. Especially after a tiring day or week.

However, we don’t want to overdo a good thing. Too much dillydallying can result in:

  • Job loss
  • Missed opportunities
  • Unfinished chores

Don’t waste time.

Rest to stay healthy. A lazy day now and then uplifts body and soul. Too many days sleeping in leave us out of shape physically and spiritually.

“‘Let me sleep a little longer! Sure, just a little more!” (Proverbs 6:10 TLB).

Thanks to Carol Edwards for the suggestion and to Savannah Gregory Ramos for the photo.

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Half-baked

Half-baked

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Half-baked--strawberry cupcakesI don’t like half-baked food, do you? Instead, like these beautiful cupcakes, bake everything until fully done. Yum!

Half-baked means partly baked.

Half-done food:

  • Rarely tastes good
  • May not be safe

Anything half-baked, food or nonfood, is incomplete.

Poor planning and practice doom our projects. Success requires good judgement in preparation and procedure.

Half-baked also means foolish.

Ideas are:

  • Impractical
  • Uninformed
  • Unrealistic

Impolite descriptions include:

  • Stupid
  • Crazy
  • Brainless

Such ideas often result from a lack of maturity or experience.

However, age and ability don’t guarantee wise judgement. Neither do youth and a lack of experience mean certain failure.

At any age or skill level, we gain when we:

  • Take our time.
  • Plan well.
  • Work hard.

If we want to take the cake, we can’t use half-baked ideas.

God never offers partial plans.

In a recent sermon, our pastor described a half-baked or half-done scheme. Because of poor planning and performance, it failed.

However, God never does anything halfway. We find the ultimate example of God’s complete work in Jesus. Sent to earth as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, Jesus saves us entirely and eternally.

God gives the best. Never settle for less.

“My people mingle with the heathen, picking up their evil ways; thus they become as good-for-nothing as a half-baked cake!” (Hosea 7:8 TLB).

Thanks to Pastor Dwayne Norman for the idea and to Carol Sullivan for the photo.

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With a Grain of Salt

With a Grain of Salt

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With a Grain of Salt--teaspoon spilling saltSocial media content should be taken with a grain of salt. Along with helpful information, we find untruths and half-truths.

To take with a grain of salt (or a pinch of salt) means with hesitation.

We verify rather than accept without reservation. Especially if we don’t know the information source. Such caution applies to more than social media.

  • Many sources remain reliable and honest.
  • Others, not worth their salt, share unreliable and dishonest material.

Unreliable sources often make a bad situation worse.

They harm instead of help. Although we want to believe information, we often find:

  • Exaggeration
  • Deliberate deceit
  • Unintended untruth

According to The Free Dictionary, with a grain of salt “is a translation of the Latin cum grano salis.”

Pliny used it to describe “Pompey’s discovery of an antidote for poison (to be taken with a grain of salt).”

Let’s always speak truth and guide others to do the same.

Season rather than harm. Preserve rather than destroy.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6 NIV).

Thanks to Joyce McCullough for the suggestion.

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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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Something Is Afoot

Something Is Afoot

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Something Is Afoot--Tim and Diana Derringer at Shell Canyon in Big Horn MountainsMy husband and I loved walks in national, state, and local parks for years. My sister and her husband also enjoyed this area in the Big Horn Mountains. Something is afoot may simply mean someone or something is walking. We travel on foot. However, the expression usually means more.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, afoot also means “in the process of development.”

It is underway but not complete. Sometimes we know the plans but not always. Occasionally, it means people have something up their sleeve, a secret plan.

Unknown activity makes us curious.

We try to figure out what is happening. When no one knows, we guess. Anticipation grows.

  • Parents give hints but no details of a planned vacation.
  • Teachers promise a fun activity but leave students in the dark until it begins.
  • Friends take friends on a wild goose chase before a special celebration.

Much is afoot in our world today.

  • Plans have been made.
  • Work is in progress.
  • People look forward to or dread the future.

However, all that can change in an instant.

Unexpected events turn the tables.

  • Storms
  • Wars
  • Illness
  • Death

We want to prepare ourselves for whatever the future holds.

Our lives and our world frequently change. God remains the same.

When we give our lives to God, everything else eventually works out regardless of what is afoot.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:31 ESV).

Thanks to Cathy Chinn for the suggestion.

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Where Bees Are, There Is Honey

Where Bees Are, There Is Honey

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Where There Are Bees, There Is Honey--two people in protective suits capturing a swarm of honeybees

My dad loved taking care of bee hives. A cousin continues Dad’s tradition. He knows that where bees are, there is honey.

Where bees are, there is honey has a clear literal meaning.

Honeybees produce honey.

We sometimes hear a less grammatically correct version of this expression: Where there’s bees, there’s honey.

Bees work hard, and their hard work pays off.

In addition to providing a natural sweetener, they pollinate plants.

  • Flowers
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits

Without bees, we suffer.

Where bees are, there is honey also applies to people.

Where we find people busy as a bee, we find results.

Success and better pay usually follow hard work. Hard work also makes our world a better place.

Bees teach us to work together.

Large numbers in bee swarms make their efforts faster and more effective. Likewise for people, many hands make light work.

May we learn from bees and from all God’s creation.

“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:9-10 NIV).

Thanks to Kristy Horine for the suggestion and to Jewell Withers Wade for the photo.

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Green as a Gourd

Green as a Gourd

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Green as a Gourd--old gourd hanging on a wallMy grandmother grew gourds. I did not understand why. What good were they? I thought they tasted awful. Plus, my grandmother often referred to people as green as a gourd. That expression was not a compliment.

As green as a gourd means not ripe.

Gourds need time to ripen before they become useful. People also need time to mature before we tackle certain tasks. Youth has its advantages, but so does maturity with its time and experience.

Similar expressions include:

  • Green behind the ears
  • Greenhorn

As green as a gourd also refers to the gourd’s color.

When we have stomach trouble, we turn green as a gourd from nausea. We feel and look horrible. Not a condition we desire.

Dried or cured gourds once served a variety of roles.

After time to mature, they became:

  • Dippers
  • Containers
  • Birdhouses
  • Musical instruments
  • Arts and crafts

They continue to serve some of those purposes.

The gourd in this picture belonged to my great-great-grandmother. She used it as a salt container. It has served and lasted well. May we also be worth our salt, serving long and well.

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14 NIV).

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion.

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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle--vintage doll in cradleIn 1865, William Ross Wallace wrote a poem, “What Rules the World.” According to The Free Dictionary, it later became known as “The Hand that Rules the World.” The poem’s refrain, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world” has become an often-repeated proverb.

The hand that rocks the cradle refers to the influence mothers have on children.

Mothers guide their children’s overall growth.

  • Social
  • Emotional
  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Spiritual

Think about the power in that position.

The hand that rocks the cradle applies to more than biological mothers.

Some of the most influential include:

  • Foster mothers
  • Adoptive mothers
  • Mothers-in-law
  • Stepmothers
  • Grandmothers
  • Other relatives
  • Friends
  • Neighbors
  • Teachers
  • Anyone who assumes a mother’s role, formal or informal

This Mother’s Day, thank the mothers in your life.

I am so grateful for the positive influence of my mother plus several others in informal mother roles. Many now live in heaven, but their impact remains.

“Her children arise and call her blessed” (Proverbs 31:28 NIV).

What mothers would you add to the list I made. Please comment.

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion and to Virginia Graves for the photo taken at Taylor County Museum – The Heistand House in Campbellsville, KY.

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