Words Wit and Wisdom Archives - Page 50 of 59

Tackle It

September 26, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 16 comments

Tackle it. Get started. Get the job done. Don’t wait.

When we tackle anything, we try to solve a problem or complete a job.

Sometimes we tackle problems with our brains.
Other jobs we tackle with physical work.
Perhaps hardest to tackle are relationships with other people.

In football, tackle is both a noun and a verb. Football tackles (players) tackle (stop) players on the other team. We will focus on the verb.

A tackle has two purposes:

To keep the other team from scoring
To help our team score

Some tackles are easy. Some are hard.

Coaches, cheerleaders, and fans cheer for their team during a game. Cheering encourages the team to play their best.

Like football, the jobs we tackle may be easy or hard.

Either way, why not cheer for one another? Why not encourage one another to do our best? Encouragement improves both our attitudes and actions.

We tackle life better with support.

Often when we tackle life’s problems alone, we get down in the dumps. A kind word or a smile may be all we need to get out of the dumps and ready to go again.

“Encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV).

Thanks to Joy Taylor for the suggestion.

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Good Old Days

September 12, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Some people want life like it was years ago.

They wish for the good old days. They remember mostly good times from their past. Many desire the freedom of childhood.

The good old days were good in many ways.

Close family relationships
No need to lock doors
Home-cooked meals with friends
A more relaxed schedule

Yet, the good old days were not all good.

No air conditioning
Fewer health services
Poor transportation
No telephones or electricity in some areas

When life gets hard, people often wish for simpler times.

Much of life in the past was simpler. Plus, people get so busy with all of today’s gadgets that we forget one another.

Personal contact may be what people miss most about the good old days.

Taking time to talk, laugh, cry, and do nothing together
Looking at one another instead of cell phones or tablets
Asking, “How are you?” and then stopping to listen

Why can’t today become one of those good old days?

Why can’t people take time for one another? That sounds like a good plan to me. What do you think?

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NKJV).

Do you have a favorite good old days memory? If so, please comment.

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Reach for the Sky

September 5, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Reach for the sky--Devil's Tower with the sky above Reach for the sky has two meanings.

A robber tells people to hold their hands in the air by saying, “Reach for the sky.”
We tell people to set high goals by saying, “Reach for the sky.”

We will focus on the second meaning.

When we look at the sky, it seems so far away.

The clouds float high above us.
Birds fly into it.
Children pretend to touch it.
Yet, how can we reach it?

When we look at goals, they may also appear far away.

Some goals seem greater than our ability.
Other people succeed while we fail.
We sometimes do nothing more than dream of what we want to do.

Far away does not mean impossible.

In spite of challenges, we can reach the sky. In spite of challenges, we can reach our goals. Yet, how do we do that?

We reach goals, like most of life, one step at a time. We may never get as far as we hope. Yet, we will get closer than if we never tried. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

If we try, we may surprise ourselves. In addition to reaching our goals, we could go far beyond them.

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5 NIV).

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Win by a Nose

August 29, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

To win by a nose means we barely win.

There is little difference between the winner and loser.

In horse racing, a horse often wins by a nose. Whether the first horse wins by a nose or a great distance, its owner gets the prize. The losers may win another day.

We may or may not run a physical race. Yet, we all compete for prizes:

Jobs
Grades
Gifts
Awards

Sometimes we win by a lot. Occasionally we win by a nose, barely getting the prize. Other times we lose.

We all like to win.

Yet, losing can teach us important lessons too:

Stay humble
Try harder next time
Share the joy of other people

Remember: The greatest prize in life is the gift of Jesus’ love, free to all.

“I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” (Philippians 3:14 TLB).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Get the Ball Rolling

August 22, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

Get the Ball Rolling-child kicking soccer ball Griffin likes to get the ball rolling. He is always ready for a game to begin. Many of us are a little slower getting started

Sometimes we fail to get the ball rolling.

That is true in soccer and true in life. We know we should begin. Yet, we keep putting off what we need or want to do.

We may not get the ball rolling for several reasons:

The job looks too hard.
We fear we might fail.
We get lazy.

Too often, we throw in the towel before we begin.

Someone had to get the ball rolling for:

Electricity
Internet service
Automobiles
Modern medicine

Now we cannot imagine life without those services. Yet, someone had to take the first step for us to enjoy them.

What if the next great invention is waiting for us to get the ball rolling?

What work do we need to start?
Who do we need to encourage?

Who knows what the future holds? Let’s do our best to make it better because of our actions today.

“Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you” (1 Chronicles 22:16 NIV).

Thanks to Lindsey Howard for the photo.

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Face the Music

August 8, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

I love to listen to music.

Music makes me laugh, cry, dance, worship, and more. Few things in life offer as much pleasure.

I still remember the first time I saw the opening scene of The Sound of Music. I wanted to run up that mountain with Julie Andrews and sing just like her. I could probably run up the mountain. I will never sing like that.

I don’t like to face the music.

I don’t want to accept the results of my actions when I have done wrong. When other people do wrong, I usually think they should face the music. They should pay for their mistakes. Yet, I don’t want the same for myself.

However, I live with the consequences of the choices I make.

Most of the time, good choices result in a good life. Bad choices usually result in a bad life. That is not always true, but it is most of the time.

The choices I make also affect other people. I want to help them make good choices and avoid bad ones.

Likewise, I want to choose carefully the people who guide me. Although I see many examples, I choose the ones I follow.

Whether I have good or bad teachers, I choose my actions.
Whether I have good or bad friends, I choose my actions.
Whether I have a good or bad family, I choose my actions.

Making right choices is not always easy. When I fail, I ask God for forgiveness and thank God for a fresh start. God offers that same forgiveness and fresh start to everyone.

I pray you always enjoy beautiful music. I also pray you make good choices so you don’t have to face the music.

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19 NIV).

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Buck Up

July 25, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Buck Up--sun shining above dark clouds Cheer up! Perk up! Get over it! Life is not that bad. All these mean the same thing: buck up.

Life is not usually as bad as we think.

Everything looks dark down in the dumps. We see no way out. That often results when we look the wrong way.

When we walk down a cave’s dark path, we see no escape.
When we move toward the entrance, we see the light.

We must choose to move.

The light remains there for us. We decide which way to go.

We do the same in daily life. Will we remain down in the dumps or focus on the light at the end of the tunnel?

Our circumstances may remain the same. We all go through hard times. However, we choose our mood.

What we tell ourselves changes our mood.
Our mood changes our actions.

For physical depression, we may need medical help. For a bad attitude, we need to buck up.

Remember: Every cloud has a silver lining.

“My God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28 NIV).

Thanks to Joy Taylor for the suggestion.

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Down in the Dumps

July 18, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 14 comments

No one enjoys being down in the dumps.

We don’t like to feel depressed or unhappy. Yet, we all get down in the dumps sometimes.

Darkness covers us, much like entering a cave with no lights. We wonder if life will ever get better.

A few people suffer depression because of a physical problem. Most of us simply have days we don’t enjoy as much as others.

Our car won’t start.
We argue with someone we love.
We have to work long hours.

Problems keep growing, and so does our bad mood.

Like an old dog, we growl at others.

We frown.
We fuss.
Nothing pleases us.

Because we feel down in the dumps, we often make others feel bad too.

We want them to share our misery. Yet, most of us have a choice.

Will we focus on our bad moments?

Or will we be thankful for all the good we still enjoy? We’ll talk more about that choice next week.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5 NIV).

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Get Our Feet Wet

July 11, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

If we want to learn to swim, we have to get our feet wet.

A friend’s grandmother taught her to fear water. Therefore, my friend never learned to swim.

My parents had me playing in water when I was a baby. I never feared water, but I did obey safety rules.

My sister, brother, and I enjoyed water games for hours. We:

Stood on our hands
Floated on our backs
Jumped and splashed
Looked for fish

I wanted my friend to know the freedom of such a day. First, she had to get her feet wet.

When we try anything new, we must get our feet wet.

We have to take those first steps. Once we get our feet wet, we can move on to deeper water. We can add new skills.

Yet, fear often keeps us from trying.

What if I fail?
Will I look silly?
What will people think?

The truth is:

We all fail sometimes.
We all look silly sometimes.
People don’t notice us as much as we think they do.
If we make mistakes, we can always go back to the drawing board.

As an old song says, step into the water.

Get your feet wet. Then, one step at a time, experience the fun of learning something new.

“‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said” (Matthew 14:28-29 NIV).

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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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