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

May 17, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

It is so easy to focus on what we don't have, instead of being thankful for those things that we are blessed with. I'm not speaking only of material possessions, but many other things as well. Often we can look at situations as being unfair; according to our personal sense of what fairness means.

I pick up my nephew's two youngest from pre-K in the afternoons. It's about a 20-25 minute drive from the school they attend to their home. Their dad gets home about the same time that we do. Some days he gets to their house first, sometimes we do. The little ones have made a game out of it. When we get close to their house, they will say, "Who won? Did daddy win or did we win?"

There for a while, the little boy, who likes to always win, started saying, "Daddy won for us!" if we got there after my nephew arrived home. I'm not sure how that worked!

Then he went through a period of time when he would cry and get mad if their daddy won. He wanted us to win and didn't think it was fair if daddy got home first. I started telling him, "We can't always win. Sometimes we win, sometimes Daddy wins! But when Daddy gets home first, we need to say, "Good job winning today, Daddy!!" He is a lot more competitive than his sister and likes to win. She likes to win, but is just as excited if her daddy wins.

Many of our young people are growing up without maturing into the fact that sometimes life isn't fair. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get the prize, sometimes you don't. Our culture is trying to make everyone feel valued, so everyone is declared a winner and everyone gets a prize. I understand that to a point, but the truth is, sometimes you need to learn how to be a good loser. It's important to learn how to tell others, "Good job!" when they win; and to not expect compensation every time, just by being a participator.

I believe that there are times when situations are difficult and God understands that, so He will give us a blessing in order to let us know that He cares. But I, also, believe that we sometimes have to first come to a place where we can honor others in that situation, before that happens.

For instance, Mother's Day was an emotional day for me for many years. My mom passed away when I was 15, so it was always hard to see Mothers being celebrated and not having my mama with me. I had always expected that I would get married and have children, but I was single until I was almost 40. But honestly, even though it was a tough day for me, I didn't want anyone feeling sorry for me. I wanted those who still had their mothers with them to celebrate their mom and make them feel special. I wanted all the mamas to feel loved and special and to delight in motherhood.

Then in 2004, Jon asked me out for our first date on Mother's Day! We had become good friends and felt a connection, but he was waiting for his parents to go out of town, before asking me out; wanting to do so, without their questions and scrutiny. They were gone to Houston that Mother's Day. But honestly, I believe that it was God's perfect timing for our first date to occur on Mother's Day. Why? Because now, even though I'm not a mother, I have something to celebrate on Mother's Day! I always remember that this was the day when we first began dating, and can focus on that blessing.

Throughout life, there may always be something that seems unfair or as if someone is receiving a blessing that we want. Our lives may not always turn out as we would have chosen. Couples may plan for retirement and dream of what they will do during their latter years, then health issues and/or death occurs and none of those plans come to fruition. Sometimes it may seem as if someone is having their needs met and being provided for, when they don't deserve it. We have to work for everything we have, but they get things given to them for free. Sometimes we may struggle with the fairness of various situations.

I have to often remind myself that I'm not God! What He chooses to do, how He chooses to provide, who He chooses to bless and how He does so, who He chooses to heal on earth, etc..... is His business and not mine. He knows details that I don't know. He knows better than I do! Sometimes I struggle with this, because it doesn't seem fair. But regardless, God is God and knows best!!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is filled with great quotes. At one point, Frodo mentioned that he wished Gollum had died. From all appearances, Gollum was nothing but evil. Gandalf replied, "Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. ... All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

His point was that some things don't seem fair, and don't always work how we would like or think they should be. There isn't any use in fretting over it. Just worry about ourselves.

King Solomon wrote again and again in Ecclesiastes, in various ways, that fretting over those things is like "chasing after the wind" (some translations say "trying to catch the wind"). No one can run fast enough to even keep up with a strong wind. And if you do keep up with a soft breeze, you still can't catch it. And whatever a person does, they won't change the wind's path or strength, or even have the slightest affect on it.

I'm glad I don't have control over things like life and death. That's just too much responsibility for me. God can keep it.

ON THE MENEWE:

Chicken Salad

Boil chicken breasts until tender; cool, debone, and chop. (A rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe, too! Debone, then chop the meat.)

Add Hellmann's mayonnaise (the real stuff tastes so much better!), chopped celery, and grapes that have been cut in halves or quarters. Mix until it's a good consistency.

Serve on croissants.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

The end of the school year is much anticipated for many children; as well as teachers and school staff. It was no different many, many years ago when I was in school. I always looked forward to the last day of school! The school I attended always dismissed a couple hours early on the last day. There was a local hamburger cafe near the school. Our bus driver would always stop there on the way home and let all the kids on the bus order either a soft drink or an ice cream cone, and he would pay. Then the summer fun would begin! Hours of playing outdoors, reading, spending time with Mama and my sisters, and just having a good time. What wonderful memories!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Worrying about it will never change the outcome ever. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org