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Break a Leg

Break a Leg

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Break a Leg--man on hospital bed with foot wrapped and propped upNo one wants to break a leg or any other body part. Just ask our worship pastor. He has spent months in pain from a broken foot. His injuries have required surgeries, casts, boots, and a wheelchair. He has also endured a walker, cane, crutches, and numerous therapy sessions.

With that in mind, why do people tell others to break a leg? The expression sounds cruel.

Break a leg means to wish people good luck.

It offers encouragement, especially to performers on opening night. The speaker hopes the actors bring down the house.

Some believe wishing actors good luck causes bad luck. Therefore, they say the opposite of what they mean. The Phrase Finder offers several possible origins for this superstition.

Although they understand the idiom, some people choose not to use it.

Not everyone understands the meaning, so it could result in hurt feelings. However, others use the expression as a fun tradition. If necessary, they explain what they mean.

Prayer offers a better alternative.

Whether a person says to break a leg or not, prayer remains the greatest gift. Prayer does not rely on superstition. It also removes the need for worry. As my friend Marian Woosley often said, “Why worry when we can pray?” True for actors. True for everyone.

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony” (Psalm 6:2 NIV).

Thanks to Candyce Carden for the suggestion and to Katherine Bonds 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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Get Back on the Horse

Get Back on the Horse

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Get Back on the Horse--horses in field behind flowering shrubsGet back on the horse. That’s what we often hear if we fall. The horse may have bucked us, or we may have fallen for other reasons. Whatever the cause, we receive encouragement to try again.

My sister disagrees. As a teenager, she did not like to ride horses. A cousin convinced her to ride behind him. She did. On a trip through our orchard, he lowered his head to miss a tree branch. He forgot to tell her. That was her last horse ride.

Get back on the horse means to try again.

We don’t give up. Instead, we get up. We go another time. One failure does not mean we will always fail.

Life gets difficult for everyone. We all fall. People or circumstances hurt us. Nevertheless, we keep going.

We learn from our mistakes.

Rather than kick ourselves, we try to correct what went wrong. We don’t want to live in fear—with cold feet—all our lives.

Get back on the horse applies to every area of life.

We may:

  • Lose a job
  • Fail a test
  • Suffer from illness
  • Grieve lost friendships
  • Endure persecution

In every circumstance, we decide whether to shake it off  or tie ourselves in knots with worry. If we don’t know how to get back on the horse, we can always rely on God for direction.

 “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1 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.

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What Will Be Will Be

What Will Be Will Be

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What Will Be Will Be--double rainbows over fields and white fencesWhen I was a little girl, one of my favorite songs was Doris Day’s “Que Sera, Sera” (Whatever Will Be Will Be). She sounded so happy. The music’s rhythm made me skip and swirl as I sang along.

Only later did I pay attention to the song’s meaning.

The words were not as optimistic as I originally thought.

In some ways, what will be will be sounds hopeless.

In a nutshell, it seems we have no control. We cannot change the future.

If we have no control, why do anything at all?

Yet, we do have some control.

We cannot change everything, but we can change some things.

What will be will be tells us not to worry about what we cannot control.

  • Natural disasters
  • Disease
  • Other people’s actions
  • Death

Will worry stop any of those from happening? No. If they do not happen, did worry prevent them? No.

As my friend Marian Woosley often said, Why worry when we can pray?

Control what we can. Let the rest go.

Rather than wring our hands about the future, let go and let God lead us today.

  • Prepare as much as possible for natural disasters.
  • Practice good health habits
  • Treat other people well.
  • Be ready for death, whenever it comes.

When we do what we can under God’s leadership, life may still be hard. Yet, God gives us peace and joy.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18 NIV).

Thanks to Laura Lee Leathers for the suggestion and to Mary Lou Rafferty for the photo..

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Butterflies in My Stomach

Butterflies in My Stomach

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Butterflies in My Stomach--butterfly on flowerI love butterflies, don’t you? I watch for them in gardens, yards, and on walks. Their colors and the way they flutter through the air thrill me. A butterfly makes any day better. However, I don’t love butterflies in my stomach.

Butterflies in my stomach mean I feel nervous.

Finding butterflies brings joy. Feeling them in my stomach … not so much.

Common causes for butterflies in my stomach include:

  • Public speaking
  • Job interviews
  • Singing or acting in public
  • Tests

Feeling a little nervous can be a good thing.

It makes me:

  • Prepare better
  • Try harder
  • Do my best

Feeling too nervous hurts my health.

It causes me to tie myself in knots, I suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When butterflies flutter too long or hard, I remind myself not to sweat it. If I shake off the stress and give God control, God leads me through every challenge.

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion and the picture.

What causes butterflies in your stomach? Please comment .

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Don’t Sweat It

Don’t Sweat It

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Don't Sweat It-Fan in the foreground; sun in the backgroundLast week we explored sweating bullets. This week we look at a better plan: Don’t sweat it.

Don’t sweat it means not to worry about it.

When troubles arise, sweating bullets does no good. In fact, it frequently causes great harm.

  • Upset stomach
  • Headaches
  • Tight Muscles.
  • Sleep Loss

“Ain’t no need to worry.”

Several years ago, I watched an interview of a baseball player. I don’t remember the player or his team. However, I do remember this wise (but grammatically incorrect) quote.

He explained that if we worry about something that never happens, we waste all that time and energy. Therefore, “ain’t no need to worry.”

Then he said if we worry about something that does happen, we failed to stop it. Again, “ain’t no need to worry.”

 “Why worry when we can pray?”

This quote comes from my friend Marian Woosley.

Her grammatically correct message reminds us to shake off our worry. Pray about our concerns. Let go and let God have control.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear” (Luke 12:22 NIV).

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

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Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay.

Sweat Bullets

Sweat Bullets

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Sweat Bullets-sweat on foreheadFew of us like to sweat bullets – physical or emotional.

After a hard day of physical work, giant drops of sweat the size of bullets drip from us. We get:

We long for a cool breeze, swim, or shower to help us feel better.

To sweat bullets also refers to emotional stress.

We become:

  • Anxious
  • Nervous.
  • Distressed
  • Fearful

We turn into worry warts.

Many stresses result from our circumstances.

  • Physical illness
  • Death
  • Job loss
  • Financial problems
  • Natural disasters

Other stresses come from within us.

We worry about:

  • An unknown future
  • Our purpose in life
  • Life after death

Whether external or internal, we tie ourselves in knots.

Next week we will look at a better way to deal with life’s stresses. Until then, stay cool, physically and emotionally. Seek God’s peace and purpose for this life and the next. Enjoy the possibilities of every day.

“Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm” (Psalm 37:8 TLB).

Thanks to Ann Maniscalco for the suggestion.

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

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Heebie-Jeebies

Heebie-Jeebies

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Heebie-jeebies--two small frogsFrogs give me the heebie-jeebies. Big ugly frogs. Cute little frogs. All frogs. They jump too fast. Plus, a friend once had a frog get tangled in her hair.

I am working on my frog fear. Since these little ones were behind glass, I was brave.

Having the heebie-jeebies is no fun. They make us feel:

  • Fear
  • Anxiety
  • Uncertainty
  • Dread
  • Worry

We differ on what gives us the heebie-jeebies.

Frequent fears include:

  • Death, so we use words like kick the bucket.
  • Frogs or other animals, so we try to stay away from them.
  • Public speaking, so we let other people speak for us.
  • The dark, so we keep lights on all night.

A few of us fear or worry about everything.

We are afraid of our own shadow and keep ourselves tied in knots.

A certain amount of fear can be helpful.

Fear may cause us to:

  • Take care of our health
  • Stay away from dangerous animals
  • Avoid dangerous people
  • Watch our step in dangerous situations

 Faith leads us away from fear and worry.

Faith does not remove all our problems. However, if we trust Jesus, He will be with us through life’s troubles. Faith in Jesus also leads us to a home in heaven.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Thanks to Margaret Bertram for the suggestion.

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

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Wring Our Hands

Wring Our Hands

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Wring Our Hands -- woman wringing handsWe cannot sleep. We cannot eat, or we eat too much. We wring our hands until the skin almost comes off.

Does that sound familiar?

To wring our hands is one sign of worry.

We twist our hands and rub them together over and over again. However, we often do nothing about what worries us. Rather than try to fix the problem, we spend all our time as a worry wart.

We:

  • Worry about our bills but fail to follow a budget
  • Complain about young people but don’t show them a better way
  • Cry over hungry children but never help feed them
  • Complain about the government but refuse to vote

Wringing our hands will not make a difference.

Rather than waste time worrying, why not lift our hands in prayer. But let’s not stop there. Why not also put feet to our prayers?

Seek God’s guidance. Then do something to improve the situation.

We cannot change all the world’s problems. We can change a few.

Will we dare to make a difference?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25 NIV).

Thanks to Tillie Cowherd for the suggestion.

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

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Cool as a Cucumber

Cool as a Cucumber

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Cool as a Cucumber--sliced cucumberSome people stay cool as a cucumber.

Whether good times or bad, they remain calm.

Cucumbers are mostly water, which keeps them cool. A slice of cucumber in a glass of water provides cool refreshment on a hot summer day.

However, cool as a cucumber does not refer to a cool temperature. It means people who rarely get upset.

  • Plans don’t go their way. They make other plans.
  • People mistreat them. They still treat those people well.
  • Losses occur. They give thanks for what they had.

They live an easy-does-it life and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Few things get them down.

When they do get down, they soon rise again and keep going. They know that nothing in this life lasts forever. Therefore, they make the most of the moments they have.

Cool as a cucumber people spread peace.

By staying calm and peaceful, they help people around them stay calm and peaceful.

Peace that never fails can be found when anyone lets go and lets God.

“[God’s] peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 TLB).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.

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

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God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise

God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise

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God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise -- flooded creekAll my life I have heard people say, “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” My family usually said, “Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”

I apologize to grammar teachers. I know don’t should be doesn’t. However, that is the only way I have heard or seen the expression used.

God willing and the creek don’t rise means people will do what they plan, if all goes well.

For example:

  • We will visit you tomorrow, God willing and the creek don’t rise.
  • She will begin her new job next week, God willing and the creek don’t rise.
  • I will finish this paper tonight, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

The speakers know they can’t always do as they plan. They can’t control everything that happens.

Years ago, if people lived near a creek, a flood could cut them off from the rest of the world. Often, they had no good bridge to cross the creek. When it started raining cats and dogs, they could not go anywhere. They had to delay plans. That was as bad as being up a creek without a paddle.

“If God’s willing, what does it matter if the creek rises?”

That quote came from Dave Dudgeon. His wife, Dana, added, “If God’s willing, He will provide a way, even if it looks impossible (or impassible) to us.” Mark 10: 27 tells us “all things are possible with God.” Maybe we should just say, “God willing” and not be a worry wart about the creek.

“You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15 NIV).

Have you heard this expression? If so, did you hear “God willing” or “Good Lord willing”? Please comment.

Update:

Since this posted, I received several messages about a different origin for “God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise.”

According to the Native Heritage Project, “the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. He was a politician and Indian agent. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. In his response, he was said to write, ‘God willing and the Creek don’t rise.’ Because he capitalized the word ‘Creek’ it is deduced that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water.”

This explanation also makes don’t correct, since it refers to a tribe (plural).

Regardless of the origin, the life lesson remains the same: Trust in and follow God’s will.

Thank you to everyone who contacted me on this. You keep me on my toes.

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Thanks to Becky Nash for the suggestion.