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 27, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I normally don't give the devotions that I write a title, but if were to do so this week, it would be, "Lesson from a 5-year old."

This past Saturday evening I was spending a few hours with my nephew's kids, while he and his wife attended a wedding. My 5-year old niece wanted the two of us to play, so we were sitting on her bedroom floor pretending to have a picnic.

I said, "I love you!" We say that to one another often and her normal response is , "I love you, too" or "I love you so much!"

This time her response was much different and it caught me off guard. Instead of responding back with, "I love you, too," she asked me this question: "How do you know that you love me?" She didn't ask, "How do I know that you love me," but "How do you know that you love me."

I honestly didn't know what to say at first. I love that little girl with all my heart, but it wasn't enough to say, "I just know." I think I said something about feeling so much love for her deep in my heart that let me know that I love her so much. Not the best answer, but she was waiting and that's what I came up with on the spur of the moment.

So I asked her that same question: "How do you know that you love me?" Her response was immediate and she didn't have to think about it! "I know that I love you because I remember seeing you take care of me when I was a baby and I thought that you were so beautiful!" Her words absolutely melted my heart!! I love her response!

I started babysitting her when she was only a few days old and the two of us have a close bond. In her short little life, she has been through more than a lot of people have to go through their entire lifetime. An example being three surgeries, with two of them being very critical and extremely major operations. She's had years of different types of physical therapies. But she is smart, funny, kind, healthy and doing well; and is in kindergarten this year. We've spent a whole lot of time together in her short five years of life.

Her answer let me know that ever since she can remember I've been there to take care of her and she knows that she loves me because of that. She knows that she can trust me to protect her and see that her needs are met when we're together. As far as her thinking that I'm beautiful... I'll take that compliment! I love it that that is how she sees me. She is always telling me that she loves my white hair... it's just so beautiful. Who am I to argue or point out what I see as imperfections in myself. I think perhaps through her, God is showing me that all those things really don't matter when someone loves me.

God created me and every tiny detail is designed just as He wanted. He sees me as having worth and value and as beautiful... so why should I spend my life criticizing myself?! Oh, trust me, I did that for too many years! What God called good and precious, I thought was flawed.

I've been thinking about my niece's comment for the past couple days. It can be applied in different ways.

I could ask God, "How do You know that You love me?" Have you ever wondered if God truly loves you? You KNOW He does, but sometimes when life is tough and you're going through stuff it may not always feel like it.

God knows that He loves me and you, because He is the one who formed us in our mamas' wombs. He was the one who shaped and formed every single detail of our bodies... He decided our eye and hair colors, features, personalities, gifts and talents, our aptitudes for math or science or music or engineering or being creative or problem-solving or organization, etc. God wrote every single moment of each day of each person's life in His book before we took our first breath (Psalms 139:16-17). He protects us and gives us breath in our bodies. He knows our every thought... both good and bad. He loves us so much that He knows the number of hairs on our head. Not only that, I believe God knows every freckle on my body and every wrinkle and every detail of every organ inside my body that is unseen.

God loves us so much that He prepared heaven for us and doesn't want there to ever be any separation between us, so made a way for us to spend eternity together.

If this isn't enough to convince you, ask God for yourself, "How do You know that You love me?" Then listen and watch as He shows you how He knows that He loves you so very, very much!

But, also, what would be your response should God ask you, "How do you know that you love Me?" I can't answer that for you, but spend some time thinking about it and I challenge you to come up with a response! How do you know that you truly love Jesus?!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Love comes in so many flavors, it's no wonder it can be hard to define.

At a young age, kids love their parents and other caregivers because they depend on them, trust them, and can go to them with their sores, their needs, and their wishes. They find comfort and peace in the ones they love.

We can also love things. I love chocolate. I can go to chocolate with my hunger, and find peace in a chunk of dark chocolate. And I am happy to give a few dollars once in awhile for a month's supply of chocolate. But it is hardly the same as loving a person.

Parents normally love their children in a much deeper way. They would give their own lives to ensure the safety of their children. They would sacrifice many of their own needs to make sure their kids can live happy and fulfilling lives. Spouses often love each other in the same way. They would quickly give up all that they hold dear just to keep their spouse happy.

Jesus loves us enough that He gave up His own life on earth to give us freedom from sin. He didn't even know us yet, and we hadn't accepted His love. But He gave Himself anyway because His love for us is so deep.

As Christians, we may start out loving Him in the way children love the ones that take care of them. We know we can go to Him. We trust Him. And we find peace with Him.

In time, we should grow in our love for Jesus and our Heavenly Father. Eventually, we should love Him like most of His disciples, and willingly give ourselves for Him. We probably would never be asked to die for Him, but if He asks us to give up the lifestyle we enjoy, we should love Him enough to do it.

I do admit, I'm not sure I could do it eagerly. But if He asked, I hope I would be willing.

ON THE MENEWE:

Quick Easy Cookies

Mix the above ingredients together. Drop by spoonful on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

You can add in chocolate chips, nuts, etc, if desired.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

When my sister, Janie, was a little girl she was playing on back of my dad's big flatbed truck. Daddy was standing beside it visiting with one of my mom's brothers. All of a sudden, Janie got this big idea that it would be fun to jump off the back of the truck and have Daddy catch her; only she didn't tell him what she was going to do. She just jumped off towards where he was standing. Thankfully, he saw her and was able to catch her. She thought it was fun, but it scared him because he knew that had he not caught her she could have been badly hurt. He told her to never do that again and explained why. Janie said that it never even entered her mind that Daddy wouldn't catch her. She had complete trust that he would.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

You can't shack up with the devil and expect God to pay the rent. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org