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

April 19, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I pick up my nephew's two kids from pre-K each afternoon. You can tell that the school year is nearing the end and the kids are starting to wear down and get exhausted with the daily routine. It's a full-day pre-K, so they are there from 8:00 AM until 3:35 PM, which makes for a long day for little ones..... and they don't get nap time.

Most days they are pretty happy for the drive home, but occasionally, they are overly tired and cranky. Thankfully, they are generally not both cranky on the same days!

Recently, Mariah was having one of those days. I give them a snack to eat on the drive home, because they have an early lunch. She chose a snack cake and asked if I'd open it. I did open the packaging, but didn't take it all the way out before handing it to her. That threw her into a tailspin!

She cried the entire drive home, which is about 20-25 minutes. "You didn't listen to me!" "I wanted you to take the cake out of the package!" "I'm mad!" "You made me cry!" I told her sorry and her response was, "I don't want you to talk to me!" Then she changed to, "You didn't even let me have a snack today!" I heard this over and over again the whole way to her house.

When I was stopped where I could glance back to check on her, her eyes were closed and I could tell that she was overly tired. I don't think it was really about the snack, but after a full day, this was just what set her off. It was a little sad seeing her weary little face with tears streaming down it; but yet was a little frustrating and a tad funny.

Mariah is only four, so I can forgive her behavior and understand why she was acting as she was. She wasn't acting spoiled and bratty, which would have meant that I would have had to handle it differently. But I can excuse and forgive a tired toddler who had had a long day.

Sometimes we can be guilty of acting this same way with God, our Father. We pray and ask for something, God gives us what we ask for, then we throw a fit because it wasn't as specific as what we had really wanted Him to do. He opens the snack (that we had Him asked for) for us and hands it to us for our enjoyment, but we aren't happy because He didn't remove the wrapper all the way -- so to speak.

Other times, He may have removed the wrapper, trying to be kind to us, but we aren't happy because we wanted to do it ourself. It must seem to God that there are times that no matter what He does or what He gives us, we find something to complain about.

When Mariah gets to be thirty, this type of behavior will be completely unacceptable. More will be expected of her, the more she grows and matures. When she becomes an adult, crying and saying the things she recently did, would make her look foolish and childish. No one will excuse that type of behavior or want to be around her, if that is her response when she is exhausted or doesn't get what she wants.

As we mature and grow spiritually, our Father expects us to act more grown up and not like a spoiled child. We should be above throwing tantrums and whining when we don't get our way. There comes a point when we need to be able to trust God and believe that what He gives us or does for us or the way in which He answers our prayer is because He knows best. We can be content and at peace, knowing that God knows what we need much more than we do. He has a plan for us and knows that there are times when He knows that what we ask for is not for our best. Other times, He may have something even better in store for us that is totally unexpected. He may want to surprise us and bless us, just because He loves us and we are His children.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

While God was leading the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, they prayed for many things, or begged Moses to pray for them.

They prayed for food, which was probably good. They needed food sooner than most crops could grow, and probably didn't have enough livestock to feed them and still have some when they arrived at the Promised Land. So, God gave them manna to eat.

They later prayed for water, which was also a good prayer.

Then, they got greedy, and demanded meat to eat, too. God showed them patience and provided.

They demanded to have God or Moses lead them back to Egypt so they could be slaves again. Moses refused, and managed to talk them (mostly) out of that.

They demanded Aaron (Moses's brother) create an idol for them, so they could pray to that. Aaron did it, and God sat back and let them (for a short time).

Looking back, it is easy to see how some of their prayers or demands were okay, some were poor, and some were downright sinful.

God knows our hearts, and why we pray for things we need or desire. But He also knows how it will impact us or those around us. So, sometimes when He gives us what we ask for, it may not look like what we wanted so much as what we need, or something to help us learn what we need to learn. And many times, it isn't about us, but about those around us.

So, please be patient, and know that He knows more about it than we do. Nothing is hidden from the Lord.

ON THE MENEWE:

Stuffed Green Peppers

Cut thin slice from the stem end of each pepper. Remove seeds and membrane; rinse.

Cook peppers in enough boiling water to cover for 5 minutes; drain.

Cook hamburger and onions together until hamburger is browned; drained. Stir in salt, garlic salt, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato sauce; heat through.

Stuff each pepper with hamburger mixture; stand upright in ungreased 8x8 baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over peppers.

Cover and cook in 350 oven for 45 minutes. Uncover; cook for 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cheese.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

This joke was told to me by my 10-year old nephew a while back. Since I worked in banking for many years, I found it especially funny! Here it is:

"I lost my job at the bank my first day. A lady told me to check her balance, so I pushed her over!"

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

God never sends you into a situation alone.

He has gone before you. He stands beside you. He walks behind you.

Be confident. You are not alone. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org