This week I want to talk about “phrases”.  I said one the other day that started me thinking:  “practice makes perfect”.  Ever hear it before? Probably you have and many others similar.  I heard a lot of such phrases while growing up.  Some sounded funny, some sounded like riddles.  But they made you think and consider the decisions you were making.  If my memory serves me correctly, most of the time I heard these from an adult trying to speak wisdom, encouragement, correction, and direction either in my life or that of another.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.  

“Practice makes perfect, and keep on keeping on” – I put these two together because they work together and are similar.  They are easy to understand; we must just keep practicing whatever it is we are trying to learn, keep on trying, and never give up.  The more we practice – the piano, pitching a baseball, learning a new language, etc, the better we will get.  Always keep working toward the goals you have for yourself.  Even if it seems like you are not accomplishing very much, keep going.  Small secure steps make for a good foundation.  Don’t grow weary in well doing (2 Thessalonians 2:13).  Remember that God never gives up on you and He is willing and able to complete that which He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6). 

“A penny saved is a penny earned” – This one is really self-explanatory, if you save money, you save money!   It’s that simple, and it’s like earning money.  I learned early in life to save money.  I might not always have had a lot saved, but always had something saved, and always worked towards increase my savings.  Having a savings can keep help us out of debt because it provides needed cash when unexpected expenses happen. 

“The early bird gets the worm” – We all know that birds wake up early so maybe getting up early gets your day started on the right tract of getting things done.  Now I DO realize that the time frame for “early” varies among us, so figure out what you’re “early” is and set your day in motion with God. 

“Walking on egg shells”– Seems like this was always used in conjunction of how sensitive a person is; how easily their feelings were hurt, everyone else felt like they had to be extra careful how they treated them – to not hurt them or offend them.  Somehow this phrase was never used as a compliment so I decided that I wanted to be the type of person that others enjoyed being with. 

“Going nowhere fast, just spinning our wheels”  –  This is how we feel during those time when we think we are not making progress; feeling like we are going in circles and not accomplishing our goals.  Remember there are those time when we just have to step out in faith and begin.  It is much easier for God to guide us if we are moving.  Think of your car, it is much easier to steer when in gear and moving. 

“What goes around, comes around” – The world uses this term quite a lot, and the Bible calls it reaping what we sow (Galatians 6:7)  The term is also known as  the Golden Rule – treat others the same way you want them to treat you (Luke 6:31).  If you want something different or better in your life, begin to sow better seeds. 

“Don’t go to bed angry” – Everyone has had the opportunity to go to bed mad, either at someone or over something.  The advice in the Ephesians 4:26 tells us  “…let not the sun go down on your wrath”, or your anger.  Verse 27 teaches us that to stay angry gives place to the devil; in other words he will take advantage of the situation to cause strife, envy and discord.  So we need to keep our heart right and our body at peace by walking in forgiveness toward others.  Forgiveness keeps us right before God and in receiving from Him. 

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – It is easier to keep from doing wrong than it is to correct a wrong; actions and words.  It’s easier to walk in love than to always be asking someone to forgive us.  The Bible tells us to abstain from all appearance of evil.  That means more than just “not doing wrong”, it means to not give the impression of doing wrong (1 Thessalonians 5:22).  God also teaches us that “obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).

“Clear as mud” – Ever been here before?  Thinking you understood something only to discover you didn’t.  I have.  Then it seems more confusing than before.  It is during these times we need to remember what the Word of God says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally…” (James 1:5).  God wants us to be wise in all areas of our lives, so make sure you are covering your life and your decisions with prayer and wisdom from above.

“Red at night sailors delight, red in the morning sailors warning” – I remember my Mom saying this many times when she was talking about the weather.  Jesus said in Matthew 16:2 that the religious leaders of the day knew more about determining the weather by looking at the sky than they did about determining the coming of the Messiah.  Where are you?  Do you spend most of your time learning or studying the news and sports of the day rather than spending time studying God’s Word?  Now don’t misunderstand me, I do think we should know what is going on in our world.  I’m just saying that we also need to know what God is saying about our world and what to expect in these last days. 

“Experience is the best teacher” – I heard this phrase a lot while growing up, and have to admit that it sounded good to me at the time. However, since then I have decided that though experience teaches us lessons that we don’t usually forget, there is a “better way” to learn.  That way is by being taught.  If we are willing to listen and learn and make good decisions, we will escape some of the “experiences” of life that are hurtful.  Counting the cost of our decisions before we make those decisions is a better way.  And of course the greatest teacher of all is Jesus.  He knows what you need to know for the decisions you need to make.  So get to know His Word and let Him be your favorite teacher.    

Challenge to my readers.   Leave a comment and share a phrase that you learned from or catch yourself saying.