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

June 9, 2021

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

We have pecan trees in our yard. The two in our backyard and one of the ones right in front of our house are all over 100 years old. We, also, have five newer trees that are less than twenty years old. They are really very pretty trees that offer a lot of shade, especially during the summer when they are leafed out.

But oh my!! They can, also, be extremely messy! They drop limbs year round. Almost every time that I mow I have to pick up tree limbs out of the yard; sometimes more than others. In the spring time before we mow the first time, we have to go over our entire yard and pick up lots of limbs that have fallen over the winter. Some have referred to this as "self pruning".

Another issue is in the fall when the pecans start dropping out of the trees. Our trees are native pecans and do not produce nuts that are really edible. I mean, I suppose you could, but they are very small and require a whole lot of work. The squirrels love the pecans! So for the weeks that they are dropping, we can't keep our front sidewalk and porch clean. They are constantly covered with whole and cracked pecan shells, that the squirrels have left behind. I can sweep them off, and within a very short period of time, they are once again covered.

The last issue is one that we are currently dealing with. In the spring/early summer, there are these green fuzzy tassels (not sure of the real official name of what they are called) that fall from the trees and cover the grass like a carpet. That is not an exaggeration! We can mow and mulch them up and our yard looks beautiful, and within an hour, it is covered once again. They get all over our vehicles and down into the crack between the windshield and hood. They cover our vehicles with this fine green layer of dust.

The worst part this year has been that every single time our dog, Sammie, goes outside to our backyard, he comes in with these fuzzy tassels attached to his face, legs, and body. When you touch those fuzzy tassels, they just kind of fall apart and disintegrate in your hand. For the past 3-4 weeks, I have been unable to keep our floors clean! I sweep and mop, but then we let Sammie outside to go potty, and he brings those tassels back in on his fur each and every time he comes back inside. I tried to clean him off before he comes inside, or as soon as he comes through the door, but he still manages to bring them in. It honestly seems worse this time than ever before. It drives me crazy trying to keep a clean house and having these things constantly tracked in. I am picking them up off the floor several times a day. Sometimes I look at them and think, "What's the use! I pick them up and he'll just bring in more!"

This is an example of how we sometimes can feel spiritually. We work and try to keep our lives sin-free and try to do what's right and maintain a close relationship with God; but it seems that the harder we work at it, the more clutter we see tracked in and the harder we struggle. There may even be those moments when we think, "Why bother?! It's too hard and seemingly impossible!"

There may even be times when it's easy to judge someone, thinking, "They should know better! They just keep failing and failing. Looks like they'd finally learn." Perhaps they are willingly sinning and not trying to keep their relationship with God strong and pure. But there may be times when they are struggling and feeling hopeless and as if they mess up, no matter how hard they try. It's at those moments when they need the love and encouragement of others, instead of judgement and criticism.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it feels like one thing after another goes wrong? I think we've all experienced those times.

A few weeks ago we had taxes to pay. That same week, our mower broke and was pretty much irreparable, so we had to purchase a new lawn mower. I can't remember what it was right now, but there was something else that happened that same week. Sometimes it feels like when one thing happens, then it snowballs and problems and hardships keep happening.

A while back my nephew's daughter was very sick for several days. About the time she started feeling better, his wife become very ill and tested positive for COVID. Shortly thereafter, my nephew and their infant son both tested positive for COVID, also. For 3-4 weeks, they had sickness in their household. Not just a little sniffle or something minor, but major sickness.

The truth is, no matter how difficult things may seem at times, those times don't last forever. Health returns, finances that took a big hit recover, situations change, and change comes. The suns comes out and pushes away the storm clouds, and we experience still waters and green pastures once again.

The same can be said spiritually. Even though there may be times when there are struggles and our faith is tested, we won't always remain in that place. If we persevere and determinedly hold onto faith, we will generally come out stronger and more deeply rooted in Jesus.

Proverbs 24:16 says, "For though the righteous one may fall seven times, he gets up again, but the wicked stumble in adversity."

When the righteous, the believers in Christ, fall down.... and fall down.... and fall down..... they don't just stay on the ground, afraid to get up and try again. They don't lay there in self-condemnation and guilt, thinking that their lives are worthless, feeling as if there's no use getting up and moving forward. Instead, they get up again.... and again.... and again. They hold onto hope! They never lose focus of eternity. They know that no matter how difficult life may become at times, it is much better than anything they could experience without Him. They cling to the promises in the Word of God, believing that what He has said is true.

When the wicked or ungodly stumble in adversity, they have no hope, no promises to cling to, no faith, no peace, nothing to look forward to regarding eternity; so there is no reason for them to get up and keep going. Sometimes they may lay there so long that they make a deep rut that is tough to move out of.

As badly as I hate these fuzzy tassels from the pecan trees that get tracked into our house, as big of a mess that they make, as tired as I get cleaning and picking them up; the positives far outweigh the negatives. Jon and I have a strong attachment to our dog, Sammie. He doesn't track in on purpose and has no idea how big of a mess he is making for us to clean up. How silly it would be to get rid of Sammie, as a trade off for having a clean floor during the spring and early summer. The thing is, the time will come when those fuzzy tassels will stop dropping from the trees and Sammie will stop tracking them in. So a few weeks of mess is worth dealing with, in order to keep our cute (almost) 9 year old puppy.

As much as I get tired of picking up pecan branches when I mow, how silly it would be to cut down our trees to cut down on the mess. The shade those trees provide is worth the inconvenience of having to pick up. The trees are pretty, especially in the summer when they are full of leafs. Our yard would look bare without them. Their shade helps a little with cooling our house in the summer. Their value is more to us than the inconveniences.

Our value with God should be worth much more than the inconveniences and difficulties life brings our way at times. Scripture tells us that trials will come; so, it shouldn't be a surprise when they do.

James 1:2-3 tells us, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

I Peter 1:6-7 says, "You rejoice in this greatly, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials. These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Don't give up! When you fall down, get back up again! Don't lose heart or let go of your faith in Jesus! Keep going forward, one step at a time, knowing that the prize set before us will be worth everything we endure while on earth.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

We know a few people who are completely convinced that as long as they have enough faith, they will not suffer from any illness, any persecution, or any difficulties in life. Honestly, their beliefs are inspired by scriptures, but those scriptures are taken out of context, and don't apply the way they want. And when these friends have gotten sick, or things didn't go perfectly, they blamed themselves for failing to have the right faith, or failing to worship correctly, or failing to commune with Jesus in the right way.

Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God. But it doesn't say to seek the kingdom of God so that we can get an easy life. That isn't seeking His kingdom first at all. The point is, if we focus on God as our King first and foremost, and set all other things aside, then we will find we have all that we truly need. The rest won't matter.

ON THE MENEWE:

Frito Salad

Mix all ingredients together; adding the Fritos right before serving. You can add salad dressing, of choice, before eating.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Recently a friend reposted the following on social media. I don't know the person who wrote this, but thought it was very good.

"I was talking to my kids about what it means to have Jesus living in your heart. My five year old got on his knees and said, 'I don't want Him to just live in it; I'm going to ask Him to make a bed in it.'" (Reposted from I'm That Wife: Marriage & Motherhood; Heather Thompson Day)

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Only God can turn a mess into a message; a test into a testimony;

a trial into triumph; and a victim into a victory. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org