There are many different versions of where the phrase “knock on wood” originated. The meaning is similar to warding off bad luck. It’s easy to research the origins but I won’t go into that here. Suffice to say this is not one of them. This is the Male Northern Flicker Woodpecker knocking on wood. Just a bit of trivia…Happy Wednesday.
Surely many of us are at our wits end having coped with the Corona Virus for many weeks. Have you ever wondered where that phrase came from…wits end? Believe it or not, it comes from the Bible. I’ve been reading the Psalms this month and read this in Psalm 107:27: They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. And verse twenty-eight goes on to say, Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
It’s fun to learn where different sayings originate and it’s reassuring to know that God will bring us out of our distress. Happy Wednesday.
Here are a few more sayings from my collection of many. It’s interesting how just a few words can make most us sit up and take notice.
Every generation needs regeneration. Charles H. Spurgeon
If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it. Marcus Aurelius
Seek not every quality in one individual. Confucius
Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet. African Proverb
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light. Plato
Let us not be known for our knowledge alone but for the love and the caring and kindness we’ve shown. Mary Frances Martin
The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we live. Norman Cousins
Losing your temper is no way to get rid of it. Our Daily Bread
Those with tunnel vision will eventually see the light. pab
I’m not sure what you would call a collector of sayings and quotes but it’s part of my life’s enjoyment. Every once in awhile I post some and today is no different. Happy Saturday.
Listening is the act of entering the skin of the other and wearing it for a time as if it were your own. David Spangler
Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing is so gentle as real strength. Francis De Sales
Empty pockets never held anyone back, it’s only empty heads and empty hearts that do it. Norman Vincent Peale
Progress always includes risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first. Frederick Wilcox
People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln
Once again I have come across a lovely message in one of my spiritual journals. It is from a 2007 Our Daily Bread article and goes like this:
“To show his love, Jesus died for me; to show my love, I must live for him.”
And here’s one from Pearl Bailey: People see God every day; they just don’t recognize him.
Another is from Winston Churchill: Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it’s the courage to continue that counts.
We can’t change the past but we can change the future by making the right choices today. Joel Osteen
It is better to get wisdom and understanding rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 16:16 paraphrased
Make me a channel of your peace…St. Francis of Assisi
Jesus wept. John 11:35 …This for the grief stricken in Humboldt, Saskatchewan.
“Wiseries” is a new word I coined to describe different and wise sayings I have collected over the years; to name a few…
Put on a glove and get in the game of life. A father to his son.
Your job isn’t to always hit a home run; it’s simply to step up to the plate. Matthew Ruttan
Insight sees what eyesight cannot see.
As you travel on life’s journey, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the whole. David Lynch.
The things we see are a very small fraction of the things that are.
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
For every time there is a season and for every life there is a reason.
Pessimism is a waste of time. Norman Cousins
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Life is what happens while you are making other plans.
In the journey of life what may appear to be the end is actually a new beginning.
