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 3, 2024

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Last night I was filling up my glass with ice when it suddenly fell to the floor and shattered. I can't remember if it was sitting on the cabinet top and I bumped against it when I was closing the bottom of the fridge where the ice is; or if I had picked the glass up and my hand was wet from the ice and it slipped out of my hand to the floor.

I was barefoot, surrounded by tiny shards of glass, so Jon grabbed the broom and started cleaning up my mess. He didn't want me to step on glass and get cut on the bottoms of my feet. I was able to step over the glass and go put shoes on shortly thereafter. This morning I swept up again and found a couple more pieces of glass that had been flung across the room and were hidden in corners beneath our bottom cabinets. I mopped the kitchen to get any remaining pieces that may have been left behind that I couldn't see.

You may be thinking, "It's only a glass... you have more... what's the big deal?!" That's true, I do have more that match this set. But these were glasses that Jon's parents had used for many years. We got them after Jon's dad passed away and his mom was downsizing and moving to independent living.

Sometimes in life, people can get their heart broken. It may be something that happens suddenly and quickly, with no warning. Other times it may be something that has been gradual coming on, but there is a pivotal moment when something happens that is heart-wrenching.

It may be something that seems small and insignificant, where people may think, "It's just.... I don't know why they are so upset!" It may be something life-changing and devastating. But either way, the person whom this is happening to feels very vulnerable and hurt. Sometimes they may only need someone to hold them for a moment and give them words of comfort; other times it may last for a season and that person needs those who will pray with and for them and just be there to offer support and love.

My niece is five years old. When something happens that upsets her, she will often cry and said, "You... or he... or whoever.... hurt my feelings!" For that short moment of time, her little heart is broken and her feelings have been hurt. It would be easy, at times, to think she's just being dramatic or silly and she needs to just get over it, but in that instant her heart needs comfort not reprimand.

She got upset with me a while back for something and I had hurt her feelings. I can't even remember what it was that had happened. But she was crying and kept telling me that I had hurt her feelings. I apologized and told her that I was sorry. At first, I was trying to explain my side of things and why I had said or done whatever it was, but she was too upset to hear what I was saying. So I just backed off, and let her finish crying it out and sat quietly beside her. Later, after she had calmed down and feeling better, we talked about it and all was well.

Sometimes, if we know that we have hurt someone, we want to explain our side of things and justify why we did or said what we did. We have that right and the other person needs to just pay attention and listen to us! But when your heart has been hurt or disappointed or upset, in that moment, it's sometimes difficult to listen. Perhaps the better solution would be to apologize and ask for forgiveness, then just sit quietly and let the other person know that we are there and love them, without trying to push them to listen to us. That's often hard to do!

Each of us will go through different types of brokenness throughout our life; probably more than once. There may be situations when we get our feelings hurt. Other times the brokenness may be the result of grief after a loved one passes away. Divorce, broken relationships between family or friends, lost jobs/careers, house fires or other disasters, sickness and health issues, miscarriages or unable to get pregnant..... so many things can cause our heart to be broken. It may be something that was said that was misinterpreted or misunderstood. It may be something that was said about our appearance or our abilities, that was critical.

There are examples of individuals dealing with brokenness throughout the Bible. Here are just a few: In 1 Samuel chapter 1, Hannah longed for a child and was heartbroken and grieving over being barren and unable to become pregnant. In 2 Samuel 12, even though David had an affair with Bathsheba and she became pregnant, his heart was broken when that baby became very ill. For seven days, David begged God to spare the child and went without food and lay on the bare ground. But what happened when that child died? David went to the Tabernacle and worshipped the Lord! Job suffered heartbreak after he lost all his children and everything he owned, then he was afflicted with boils all over his body. Ruth and Naomi both lost their husbands and were heartbroken. Leah must have felt broken and unloved many times when Jacob loved her sister, Rachel, and showed favor to her.

In the New Testament, Mary and Martha were broken hearted when their brother, Lazarus, died. When Peter denied Jesus, just as Jesus had said, then the rooster crowed after that third time, he must have been devastated and heartbroken. Watching Jesus hanging on the cross and dying, His mother, Mary, and the disciples must have felt overwhelmed with grief and heartache. When Saul was persecuting the christians, there must have been such a feeling of brokenness and fear.

God knew, when he created humans on earth, that they would suffer heartbreak. So He gave us promises and assurances that He would be with us when that occurred. Here are some of those promises for you to hold onto, during times when you are feeling brokenhearted:

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalms 147:3

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalms 34:18

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book." Psalms 56:8

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." Isaiah 61:1

When you feel brokenhearted, turn to the Lord for comfort and strength! He is always with you, but during those times, He will bind up your wounds and heal that brokenness. He will be close to you and hold you in His arms. Turn to God, not away from Him, when life brings situations that causes hurt and brokenness.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

People aren't the only ones to feel brokenhearted. When Lazarus died, Jesus went to him. He was also heartbroken over it. Maybe over Lazarus dying, or over how Mary and Martha felt losing him. But John 11:35 says that "Jesus wept."

Genesis 6 describes a time when almost all of humanity had turned so wicked that God was heartbroken. Verse 6 says that "The Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth and it grieved Him to His heart." His own creation turned away from Him, and gave credit for all they were or had to false gods. Later, the Israelites, God's own chosen people, broke His heart again and again.

But again and again, He kept forgiving the Israelites. And He even sent His own Son, to give forgiveness to all of us. That is an amazing kind of love.

ON THE MENEWE:

Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor, to your desired consistency.

If you would like it spicier, add jalapeno juice, to taste.

Store in a mason jar, with a lid, in the refrigerator.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Something that I started doing with my nieces and nephews, when they turned 5, was take them to Dollar Tree occasionally. They all love it! Even the older kids still like going. I will give them a limit on how many items they can choose, then let them pick out whatever they want. It is so much fun to see what they choose. Nowadays the older kids tend to pick snacks, candy, and drinks.

Last time I took my nephew's three youngest kids, they had so much fun! The oldest, who is 11, picked out some traffic cones and a plastic flower pot. I thought, "What in the world?!" The kids like the online game, 'Plants VS Zombies', so he got them to wear on their heads so they could play it in real life. The little girl has no trouble picking out items, until it gets down to that last one, then it's so hard! She will look a5 something and say, "I like that... but I don't want it;" or "That's so cute! But I don't want it!" Finally she found a kite (that tore up the first time she tried to fly it) and said, "That's exactly what I want! I have ALWAYS wanted a kite!"

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Sometimes God closes doors because it is time to move forward.

He knows you won't move unless circumstances force you. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org