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

September 28, 2022

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Several years ago, the night before my nephew, Jax, was going to turn 5, I had the following conversation with him:

Me: "Guess what tomorrow is?"

Jax: "It's my birthday!"

Me: "I know! You'll be 5!"

Jax: "I'm a little bit scared."

Me: "Why are you scared?"

Jax: "Because I've never been 5 before."

Jax had had people telling him what a big boy he was going to be. He and his cousin, who had just turned 6, had a conversation that since she was 6 and he was (almost) 5 there were some things that they were going to have to give up...... one being, that they couldn't wear silly shirts anymore. Jax had probably been thinking about all this and wondering what being 5 was going to really be like. He may have thought that there were going to be a lot of changes and he was unsure about whether or not he was really going to like them. Little did he know that his entire life was going to be made up of changes.

The unknown can be somewhat frightening, at times; but it can, also, be exciting. I think a lot has to do with perspective. We can go through life dreading changes or all the what ifs that could possibly go wrong or the bad things that could happen; or we can enjoy each day and trust God with all the unexpected things. Worry and fear lead to stress and anxiety, which can quickly sap our joy. But trusting God and resting in His plan, brings peace and contentment.

My sister was a pastor's wife for over 25 years; then pastored for 10 years, after her husband passed away. This past Sunday was her last Sunday as a pastor. She felt God release her from pastoring and urge her that it was time to step down and allow someone else to lead the church through its next season. She is 62 and has spent most of her adult life as either a pastor's wife or a pastor.

The big question that everyone is asking is, "So what are you going to do now?" Her answer is, "I don't know yet. It depends on what door God opens up for me and where He leads me."

People like having a plan in place, and like others to have a known plan in place. It makes most people nervous not having a plan and trusting God for their next step. This begins at an early age. Adults will ask children, "What are you going to be when you grow up?" When a child becomes a teenager, teachers and counselors begin asking which college they are going to attend and what they want to major in. They want them to have a plan in place.

Some know at an early age what their dream is and they desire to do with their life; but many don't. But they feel pressured that they need to have a plan in place and an answer for what they want their career choice to be; which can be really stressful.

The truth is, God doesn't have a designated age set in place where someone has to make their life decision and choice on what they are going to do with the rest of their life. In fact, God often will lead in a much different path than what individuals think their life will go.

Moses left the palace in Egypt and went to Midian. He ended up getting married and tending his father-in-law's sheep for about 40 years. Then God showed up and called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery into the Promised Land. He had all kinds of excuses on why God had the wrong man, feeling unqualified and not leadership material. But finally, Moses said yes and headed into unknown territory, but God showed up in amazing ways throughout the next 40 years and did miraculous things for the Israelites. Moses had personal encounters with God, that he never would have had, had he said no and not been willing to obey God in the unknown.

Abraham, Ruth and Esther all found themselves in situations of not knowing what God's plan was, but were willing to trust Him and remain faithful in their obedience.

Abraham packed up his family, servants, and all his belongings to go to an unknown destination when God said go.

Ruth left her homeland and family to follow her mother-in-law to a place where she would be a foreigner. She had to learn customs that were unknown to her and glean in a field in order to feed Naomi and herself. But through it all, God placed her and Boaz's lives together, and they became the great-grandparents of King David; being in the lineage of Jesus.

At the risk of her life, Esther approached her husband, the king, on behalf of her people, the Jews. She could have been killed, yet she found favor with the king, preserving the lives of the Jews.

None of us know what God's full plan is for our life. In fact, many times He only gives us one detail at a time. If we knew what the future held and could see into the coming years, we would tend to dread what was ahead and try to change His plan; instead of enjoying what God blessed us with each day. Instead of fully trusting Him, we'd try to convince Him to change His mind about the hardships and difficulties.

Instead, God leads us day by day, one step at a time. We don't have to be "just a little bit scared," but can rest in the loving arms of Jesus and know that His plan is to give us a future and hope.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

When I was young, I felt pressured into picking my future career. I picked doctor. Not that I had any good reason for it, but it sounded like a way to make good money, get lots of vacation time, and get respect. I figured that sounded better than being a fireman, and I knew I couldn't be a sports star.

Once I picked, I thought I was stuck with it for the rest of my life. I even got a stethoscope for Christmas one year. I felt committed, and knew my future.

Then a friend of my dad's loaned us a computer. It didn't take long before I abandoned all thoughts of being a doctor, and knew I wanted to do something related to computers. With a little more time, I knew I wanted to be in on the electronics side more than anything.

Now, I do almost no real electronic design. But I do use computers in my work, and most of my free time.

I never really followed all the details of Moses's journey to the border of the promised land. But I know it wasn't just a straight line. They started by heading mostly south, then east across the Red Sea. Then ended up back northeast. But they followed the path set out by God. For a lot of the journey, they followed a tower of flame or a tower of smoke. So it wasn't just because Moses refused to stop and ask directions.

God's path for our lives doesn't always lead in a straight line. He may tell us to head toward one destination, then when we get to the right point, He will tell us to stop or to turn toward another destination.

It is important that when we start on His path that we don't quit listening.

ON THE MENEWE:

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Mix cake mix and pumpkin together. Add chocolate or cinnamon chips, if desired.

Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

This is a story I shared back in 2014. That little girl and boy are now ages 12 and 13! And that little foster daughter was adopted by my niece and her husband several years ago.

It is fun to watch the difference in how little boys and girls play.... and think. My nieces foster daughter has a stroller for her baby doll. She enjoys playing with her dolls and taking care of them. On the other hand, one morning she was already gone to daycare, so my great-nephew was playing with the stroller; only he was pushing it and pretending that it was his race car. He would stop occasionally and pretend to fill it up with gas, and was pushing it back and forth between the living room and kitchen as fast as he could go while pretending that he was racing. I put his hoodie on him so that he'd be ready to go when his daddy got ready to leave. He had me put his bicycle helmet on him, too, and was pretending that he was wearing a racing uniform. Imaginations are great! Little girls can take a stroller and pretend that she's a mommy pushing her baby around, while a little boy can take that same stroller and pretend to be driving a race car!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.

Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. - Winston Churchill

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org