THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

December 9, 2020

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

I have a love/hate relationship with surprises! I mean, I love surprises; but I, also, can hardly stand it when I know that I have a surprise coming, but have no idea what it is. I will guess and guess and try to figure it out. I really want to know, but at the same time, don't want to know and want to be surprised. It drives my husband somewhat crazy, at times!

I'm good at keeping secrets, but sometimes, I about burst holding it in. I buy my husband gifts for his birthday and Christmas, and I really do want him to be surprised, but I have a difficult time holding in my excitement. I want him to be as excited about the gift as I am and his response is generally along the lines of, "I'm patient! I can wait!"

I can wait, too; but I think, for me, the days leading up to finding out what the gift is, is part of the thrill. Perhaps that's part of my inner child coming into play... or not! I get almost giddy with excitement, trying to figure out what I may be getting. I can hardly wait and really want to know, and will try to guess and figure it out.... but I also like that moment when I finally get to see what it is that I've been waiting for.

When I was a kid, there were a few times when I would sneak around before Christmas and find my present, that had not yet been wrapped. Mama always hid our gifts in her bedroom closet underneath a quilt. I remember a time or two sneaking in there and finding my present. The thing is, that pretty much spoiled the surprise on Christmas. And I, also, had to be really careful to try to remember how everything was laid so that I could put it back and not be caught. I have no idea whether or not Mama ever knew that I did that.

But honestly, I can't remember what those gifts were that I had snuck around and found. It's those gifts that were a surprise that I remember most.

One year, when I was probably 12-13 years old, I had found a sweater in a catalog that I wanted so badly. It was white with a navy hood, a wide navy strip around the arms with a thinner red strip inside the navy, pockets with navy trim, and it zipped up the front. We didn't often get store-bought clothes, so I really didn't think that I would get it. But I would look at it and admire it, showing it to Mama and wishing for it. I was so surprised when that was what Mama and Daddy got me for Christmas that year. I loved that sweater and wore it for many years! It was one of those that seemed to stretch out and grow with me. I wore it, until it finally wore out and got holes in it. I was so sad to throw it out.

Another year my sister, Janie, bought me a bible that snapped closed and had my name engraved on it. I still have it, even though it's worn out and falling apart. That had been an awesome gift and I loved it.

One of the most meaningful gifts that I ever received was from my husband for my 40^th birthday, two weeks after we got married. He made up an album that was a history from beginning to end of the thirteen months that we dated. He had kept every movie ticket, restaurant receipt, card/letter, note..... something to represent every single date that we'd had. It started with our first date and ended with our wedding invitation and receipt for our honeymoon cabin. I asked him what had made him think to keep all of those things. He responded that he knew from that very first date that I was very special and felt pretty confident that we would get married. Wow! That was an amazing surprise!!

My engagement/wedding ring is also extremely special. Jon wanted a ring that would have meaning, so designed it with every single component of the ring meaning something specific. He put a whole lot of thought into it! It is one of a kind and every time I wear it, I am reminded of my husband's godliness in creating something so spiritually significant that is incredibly special. I knew that he had it long before he gave it to me. He was waiting until he could have an opportunity to ask my dad, in person, for permission to marry me. Finally seeing that ring and having Jon explain the meaning behind it all was a very precious gift.

When I was probably 10-12 years old, red and black saddle oxford shoes were in style and a lot of girls my age were wearing them. I really, really wanted a pair! Finally, Mama found me a pair on sale that she could afford. I'm sure that she was so excited to be able to get me something that I really wanted. But they weren't like the other girl's shoes. Theirs all had black or brown soles and the ones that Mama got for me had red soles. They were just different enough that I thought they stood out and would look funny, compared to the others. Instead of seeing them as being special and unique, I viewed them as being embarrassing. I knew that Mama had sacrificed money, that could have been used for something else, and so didn't complain. But I think I only wore them a few times. I'm sure she could tell that I was unhappy with them; which probably kind of hurt her feelings.

James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Matthew 7:9-11 says, "For what man among you, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or when he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him."

Did you know that God is a good gift giver? I believe that He enjoys surprising us with good gifts; just as we enjoy surprising those whom we love with good gifts.

Have you ever seen something that reminds you of someone special and think, "They would love that!"? It gives us great joy to give it to them and see the delight that they experience from receiving the gift. Our Father is the same. It gives Him great joy to see our delight when He blesses us with something unexpected. Perhaps He thinks, "Loretta (you can insert your name here) needs something extra special today. I know just the thing that would be perfect for her!"

There may be times when we ask God for something specific and give Him our "wish list". Then we try to sneak around to see whether or not we're going to receive it. We may even try to figure out a way to get it for ourself. The wait between the asking and receiving seems to go on and on, and we feel as if we just can't wait to see whether or not we're going to receive it.

Sometimes God may give us a gift and it's not exactly what we were wanting and we feel let down and disappointed. We don't want to complain or sound ungrateful, but our expectations weren't quite met as we had desired. Other times, we may act a bit like a spoiled brat and toss the gift aside, embarrassed and disheartened, worried about what others are going to think.

Even when we go through things that seem unfair and hard to understand, God is still a good, good Father and taking care of us. He is still blessing us and hasn't forgotten about us. We may not recognize it in that moment, because it doesn't look what we were expecting. Even then, God is bestowing gifts upon us.

As we are preparing for Christmas over the next few weeks, I encourage you to take time each day to think about something that God is giving you for that day. What gift is He surprising you with? What pleasures is He bringing into your day to make it better and brighter? What joy is He allowing you to experience?

Look for God's gifts! They may be expected and much bigger than you ever anticipated. Other times, they may be small and seem somewhat hidden; but they are there when we seek them out. They may be obvious, or perhaps they aren't. But God gives good gifts to each and every one of us. Let's be gracious and thankful recipients.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

There have been a few gifts I've asked for, like a PlayStation. I used it often for months. But over time, I lost interest in it. In fact, I haven't turned on my PlayStation for many years.

Sometimes, we do the same thing with our prayers. We beg God for something. But if God was to give it to us, we might be satisfied for a short time, but left unhappy later. God, in His infinite wisdom knows our hearts now, but also knows our hearts in years to come. He knows whether we should really have what we ask for. If you have trouble trusting God when He doesn't answer a prayer, trust Him that His wisdom is greater.

ON THE MENEWE:

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Add ingredients to the crockpot. Chicken is add raw, so super easy! Cover, and cook on low for approximately 8 hours. When almost finished, pull out chicken and shred; return to crockpot.

Serve with any toppings desired: tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese, cilantro, sliced avocado

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I would like to wish my husband a very, very happy birthday! He will be entering a new decade (his 50's) this week. I have been planning and plotting to make this a memorable birthday for him.

We were recently watching an old gameshow where the host was asking couples questions, and they had to guess how they thought their spouse would answer. One question was asked of the husbands on whether or not the wife would tell her age. They all answered no, and were all correct. Jon said, "I would answer yes, you would tell your correct age." He is correct. I am proud of my age and don't care who knows. My thinking is, each and every decade has something very special about it. We can enjoy our life as we grow older and make the most of it and enjoy ourselves; or we can choose otherwise. I am 55 and still love birthdays and get excited! I feel like each year, each decade, has something special about it, if we choose to find it. I wouldn't want to go back to a younger age or relive a past decade, but choose to find the blessing of my present life.

So Jon, as you enter your 50's, look for all the blessings that God has in store for you. Enjoy each year to the fullest! I've been trying out the 50's for over 5 years now, so can tell you from experience that it's pretty spectacular! I love you!!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

God is still writing your story. Don't let go of your faith because of what you have yet to see. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org