THE NEW EWE
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
July 5, 2023
LIFE
IN THE FOLDProverbs 24:16 says, "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked." (NLT) Another version says it like this: "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." (NIV)
Recently, my sister and I had met at a park and were using their walking path. We have done this numerous times in the past, so I'm familiar with the trail. This particular morning, the two of us were walking and talking. The next thing I knew, I had fallen and was on the ground. I really have no idea what happened. It's a section that is fairly narrow and is made out of asphalt. I landed with one leg bent and the other stretched out behind me; as if I were doing a lunge. I landed where I hit right below my knee and it got some big scrapes on it and was bloody. I had put my hand down and a sharp rock made a small cut on my palm. My right side had zero scratches on it.
That section of path is right beside the street, so I didn't want to be on the ground as cars drove by. I quickly flipped over to my backside so that I was sitting upright, while I assessed my injuries and made sure I hadn't turned or twisted anything. I was fine, other than the big scrapes on my left leg.
The problem was figuring out how to get back up. The asphalt was rough, made out of rock or old broken pavement, so I didn't want to put my injured knee on it. There was nothing there to grab onto to pull myself up with. There was a wide graveled area between the path and the grass (which was really a bank, which would have sent me rolling!). I knew my sister didn't have the strength to pull me up. So I told her to just stand there and let me use her for balance, while I pushed myself up, using my right leg. God helped me and I was able to stand upright on my first try, without much difficulty.
I came home and cleaned the wound and put antiseptic on it. It is now mostly healed, with just some scabs where a couple of the cuts were deeper. I'm just very thankful that the scrapes were the only injuries I had and nothing was sprained or broken or jarred or sore.
In life, there are times when we fail and spiritually fall down. God knew that it would happen, so gave us encouragement in His Word.
Psalms 37:23-24 says, "The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand."
Psalms 145:14 says, "The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their load."
Psalms 94:18 says, "I cried out, 'I am slipping!' but Your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me."
One more: "You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way," (Another version says, "You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping."
Throughout our life when we sin, make mistakes, and fall down, it can often happen very quickly. We may feel strong spiritually, then find ourself saying something that we shouldn't have said or become angry or give into temptation. We may have an ungodly attitude or become hurt and harbor unforgiveness. We suddenly find that we've stumbled and fallen; often getting hurt. Sometimes we are embarrassed that we've failed and don't want anyone to know or see us. Someone may offer to help us up, but our guilt makes us feel as if we're too heavy to take their helping hand. So we have to make a choice: Do we sit there in our fallen state and wallow in our sin and guilt, or do we reach out to Jesus and allow Him to help us.
When we fall, Jesus never ever leaves us. He never belittles us and speak words of condemnation. "You should have known better! What are you doing down there in your fallen state? You should have been more careful or known better! You are wasting My time by lying there on the ground!" No!! He offers to help us up, clean us up, bind our wounds, and help us get back on the right track. If there are wounds that are bleeding, He brings about healing.
Honestly, there may be times when we may carry the scars from those wounds from our fall. But it's not the Father who keeps reminding us of our failure and speaking words of condemnation -- Satan is the one who does that. Our response can be to feel as if we are unworthy and live guilt-filled and grieve over our past; or we can see those wounds and thank God that we got back up and continued forward on our journey with God. We can rejoice in knowing that we are no longer that fallen person, but are saved and forgiven by the grace of Jesus. We are a new creation in Christ -- the old is gone and the new has come.
JON'S
PERSPECTIVE:Loretta will probably remember the exact spot where she fell for a long time. If she keeps walking past it over and over, it will fade. But until then, she may naturally slow down through that spot, and watch for loose sand, or anything else that might pose a slip or trip hazard. It's a natural response. But I don't expect it will stop Loretta from going for a walk again.
It isn't that Loretta expects to fall there again. But it is natural when we come up on the same circumstances where we have been hurt before to remember it, and be cautious. It is a natural, intelligent reaction to learn from the past. In fact, that behavior is used as a sign of intelligence when testing animals. It is a natural intelligent response to be concerned that we might repeat a past mistake.
(I hate to say this and plant ideas in Loretta's mind, but it is important later.) It can become a problem if Loretta avoids the right side of the path, and starts stepping off the drop-off on the other side. On that side, she may twist her ankle. Sometimes in our caution to avoid repeating a fall, we end up causing one instead.
The bigger the hurt, the stronger the response. A major hurt could turn into a phobia. Even a minor hurt could turn into a phobia, if someone keeps reliving it over and over.
So, if Loretta's sister would remind her, "Now, look out. This is where you fell before. If you aren't careful, you'll do it again." every time they walk there, it isn't going to help. It would only make things worse, even if she means well. It would be better to simply walk beside her, and be ready to help if she needs it.
The same goes for bigger mistakes, too. It is natural and normal to be cautious. But don't expect repeats of those mistakes so much you cause worse problems.
ON
THE MENEWE:Frying Squash
Slice the squash in a bowl. Break an egg over the top of the squash. Put a lid on the bowl and shake to coat. Add yellow cornmeal and salt; place lid on bowl and shake again to coat. Heat up oil in a frying pan. Put everything into the pan and fry, with lid on. Stir as needed to cook and brown.
THIS,
THAT AND THE OTHER:This past Saturday was my 58th birthday. My family tries to get together around July 4th at our family property in Missouri, so this year we got together on Saturday, due to the 4th being on a Tuesday. The get together wasn't for my birthday, but made for a wonderful day. Jon and I were both there, my sisters all come (plus a couple of brother-in-laws), as well as many of my nephews and nieces and their families. It was the largest gathering that we had had in a several years. It was one of the best gifts ever and made my birthday incredibly special! Here's a nice God surprise: It was my 58th birthday and 58 people were present!!
THOUGHT
TO PONDER:Faith is not hoping God can. It is knowing He will. - unknown
OUR
HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:We love you!
Loretta & Jon