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

February 9, 2022

Happy Valentine's Day

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

Several years ago, my oldest sister and her husband pastored a church in Springdale, AR. There was an elderly couple, probably in their late-70's or early 80's, who were members of the church. They had been married for well over fifty years. I absolutely loved watching this couple relate to one another. They still held hands all the time, he would sit with his arm around her, open doors for her, and you could tell that they were still crazy about each other. They would give sweet smiles to one another, and those looks were filled with love. That made a huge impression on me. I commented to my sister several times about how much I enjoyed watching this couple; and that if I ever married, I wanted to be like them. Their love and devotion for one another was very genuine and real, and was very obvious. I can't remember their names, but I can still picture them in my mind. They had no idea the indelible impression that they made upon me. I will never forget them and the example they were to me.

Granted, love and a strong marriage is more than shared looks of love and obvious kindness and tenderness shown to one another. It's going through difficult times together, and coming through it with trust and respect for one another. It's praying together and both keeping their eyes firmly on Jesus. It's learning to laugh together and enjoying spending time with one another. It's being able to cry and share feelings, without fear of being shamed or ridiculed. It's having arguments and disagreements, but afterwards respecting each other's viewpoint and being willing to sometimes compromise.

But through it all, your love for one another should be seen in how you treat one another, and heard in how you speak to one another; as well, as how you talk about your spouse when they aren't present.

I've had many excellent examples of what a good, strong marriage look like. My parents truly loved one another, and my dad loved and cared for my mom during her years of dealing with cancer. It was obvious from the time I was a young girl, until my mama passed away, that the two of them loved each other and were deeply devoted to God, to one another, and to their daughters.

Sisters, in-laws, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends...... have shown me how a couple loves through the good times, as well as through hardships.

But it's not only about the love between a husband and wife. Our world also needs to see what love looks like between parents and their children; what love looks like between siblings; what love looks like in extended family; what love looks like between friends; and what love looks like in churches. Our society needs to see what love looks like, even when people disagree with one another and have different political and social viewpoints. We don't have to agree to love; and we need to show that to the world.

More importantly, we need to show the world what love for God looks like.

Mark 8:38 says, "If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."

When I was a little girl, I learned a song that says, "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine." This is scriptural about letting our light shine before men. We do this by allowing Jesus to be seen in our life, our words and our actions. It's not displayed by beating others over the head, telling them how they are wrong and we are right. It's not shown by being so opinionated that we fail to listen to others. That doesn't mean that we allow them to influence with ungodliness, but we listen to their heart and hear where they are coming from, so that we better know how to respond (not argue!), and how to pray for them.

If someone is embarrassed to be seen with their spouse, their parent, or someone close to them then it's perhaps a love issue.

Many don't seem to believe this, but even with the age difference between my sisters and myself, we have always been very close. Even when I was a young girl and they were in their teens or twenties, they would always allow me to tag along with them wherever they went. They never made me feel as if I was unwanted, nor did they complain to our parents about me going. We went everywhere and did everything together; and enjoyed hanging out together. We still do.

My nephews and nieces have always loved hanging out with me and being seen in public with me. Never has there been embarrassment. We love greatly and it's obvious.

When we truly love God, others are going to be able to see. We won't be embarrassed to tell others that we love Him and have a relationship with Him. We will be bold in praying for others, regardless of who is nearby. We will enjoy talking about Jesus with others.

When you truly love and respect someone, it's going to show; that goes for God and for our relationships with others. I want my life to be a testimony to all who see me that I love God and that I love my husband. I want others to see Jesus in me, and the peace and joy that He gives me, and think, "That's what I want in my life!" I want everyone who sees me and Jon together to recognize the deep love and respect that we have for one another and think, "I want a relationship and love like theirs!" I want to leave a positive indelible impression upon others.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Can you imagine someone telling their spouse, "I'm going to hang out with some old friends, and I don't want you around. I'll see you in a few hours, and you can drive me home then."

As awful as that may sound, don't we do that in our relationship with Jesus? "Thanks for being such an important part of my life, but I'm going to have lunch with people who don't know you, and probably don't really want to. But I'll be back later, so we can be together again."

The truth is, we don't just invite Jesus to be around once in a while. We don't just invite Him to get to know us. We invite Him into our hearts. He becomes more than just a part-time relationship. He becomes part of ourselves, and an integral part of our lives.

We don't have to be a nuisance, but we can be proud to tell others about our church, our lives with Jesus, and let them know we are examples of Christians who can show love, kindness, and friendship. And we don't leave Jesus at the door when we go somewhere--anywhere.

ON THE MENEWE:

Valentine Trifle

Bake cake according to package instructions; allow to cool, then cut into small chunks.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

Place a third of the cake cubes in a trifle bowl or 3-1/2 quart glass serving bowl. (It looks pretty if you have a glass bowl, so you can see the layers through the sides.) Top with a third of the pudding, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1-1/2 cups of raspberries, and a third of the Cool Whip.

Make 2 more layers, ending with Cool Whip spread across the top. Garnish with strawberries, if desired. If you want to get fancy, you could top with chocolate covered strawberries.

Chill until ready to serve.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I once heard someone make the statement that when we say that we need to pray for patience, that perhaps what we really need to pray for is more love. Patience isn't the root issue, but it's a love issue.

1 Corinthians 13:4 says, "Love is patient, love is kind." Patience is an attribute of love.

This has given me food for thought and changed how I pray regarding patience and love. So next time you feel as if you are running short on patience, stop and review the situation and ask yourself if it's really a patience issue or if it's a love issue.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

"I love you:"

That means I'm not just here for the pretty parts. I'm here no matter what. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org