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 25, 2024

LIFE IN THE FOLD

On Labor Day weekend, my nephew's kids had distance learning on the Friday before, so ended up with a 4-day weekend. On Tuesday, when I arrived at my nephew's home to get his two youngest kids on the school bus, his 7th grader was waiting on the front porch for his bus to come. I sat down to talk to him and asked if he had a good weekend. He said no. I asked why and he replied, "Because I was dreading going back to school today." I said, "So instead of having fun and enjoying your time at home, you spent your time dreading going back to school?!"

I went inside the house and told his parents about our conversation. When I got to the part about him saying he hadn't had a good weekend, his mom was like, "What?! His cousin even came and spend the night [he and his cousin are best buddies!]. Why would he say he didn't have a good weekend?" I told them he said it was because he was dreading going back to school... that he even had a hard time going to sleep the night before, because of that.

The thing is, I've asked him how school is going a couple times and he will answer that it's good. He makes good grades and doesn't seem to hate school. But he enjoys his time at home much more than his time at school!

His parents laughed and said, "Well, we kind of get that! We dread going back when we have days off." Both my nephew and his wife are school teachers.

Have you ever failed to enjoy yourself, due to dreading that time coming to an end?

Perhaps you go on vacation, then every day count down how many days you have left until it comes to an end. You think, "Oh man! This time is going by so fast! I only have xx number of days left until I have to go back to work [or whatever it may be that you do]." Instead of enjoying the moments of what each day brings, you spend your time rueing how fast time is passing and your vacation ending.

Perhaps you have children and it seems as if time is flying by too quickly and they'll soon by leaving home for college or a job... or maybe they're getting married. Instead of enjoying the time you have left with them being at home, you mourn them leaving home and the changes that will bring.

Sometimes we miss the joys and blessings that life brings, because we are too focused on the negative.

Change is difficult for most people, and those changes can bring about a sense of dread.

We can even look at what's happening in our nation and it can cause a sense of fear to overwhelm us. We find ourself living with anxiety, worry, stress.... not knowing what is going to happen.

The truth is - we've all dealt with hard situations. Death of loved ones... job loss or change... financial difficulties... disasters and loss... health issues... Some have happened unexpectedly and with no warning; while other times we had some time to prepare ourself.

None of us know what tomorrow may bring. If we feel the Holy Spirit urging us to do something specific to prepare for the future, then we need to heed those urgings and obey. But we can do so without fear and dread.

I urge you to read Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus is speaking and repeatedly says to not worry. He says to not worry about everyday life - what you're going to eat, drink or wear. Why? Because our Heavenly Father already knows all of our needs and will take care of us. He says, "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

In Philippians 4:6 we are told, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

In verse 8 we are told to fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable; think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

We aren't told to fix our thoughts on dread, worry, fear, things that cause anxiety.... things that are negative.

In Nehemiah chapter 8, the people were listening to Ezra reading the the Book of the Law, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey. The book was being explained to the people so they could understand each passage. The people were weeping as they were listening to the words of the Law. Then Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites told the people, "Don't mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God." Nehemiah contented, "Go and celebrate! Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!"

Sometimes when we are feeling weak and dread is filling our heart and mind, worry or fear (or both) are consuming our thoughts, it's because we have lost the joy of the Lord in our life - therefore, we have lost our strength. We feel weakened because our problems or dreading a situation or fear of the future or whatever it may be has become our focus. Those things have become magnified, which in turn has cause them to seem bigger than God. Whatever consumes our thoughts is going to seem the biggest; whether it be God or something else. The truth is, God is always the biggest and most powerful; but we can minimize Him in our heart when we push Him aside and allow other thoughts to consume our minds.

1 Timothy 6:17 says, "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly give us all we need for our enjoyment."

Every single thing that we each have is from God. Everything!! Your family, your job, your home and everything in it, your car, your money... everything. You may argue that you are the one who worked for it, so you have what you do because you earned it. Really?! Who gave you the health to work? Who gave you the strength and knowledge to be able to go to work every day and do what you do? Who protects you as you are driving to that job? You only have what you do, because of God. But if you put your trust in those things, more than you do in God, you will be devastated should you ever lose it all. On the other hand, if you trust in God and see that everything that He has blessed you so richly with has been given to you for your enjoyment (as scripture says), then it will change your perspective.

John 10:10 says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Another version says, "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

Abundant life is not found in possessions or a big bank account or in "things" or even in people. It's not even found in who wins an election. It's not found on social media. But a life that is rich and satisfying and filled with abundance can only be found in a relationship with Jesus.

When we are trusting fully in Jesus and our relationship with Him is secure and strong, then we don't have to live with dread of the future. Regardless of what happens, we can be filled with the joy of the Lord. We can have peace that surpasses all understanding - a peace that the world won't understand, until they come into right relationship with the Lord. We can be steadfast, unmovable, unshakeable in our faith - knowing that our future isn't dependent upon what happens in this world, but our future is filled with promise of an eternity in heaven with God.

Compared to eternity, this life is fleeting. My goodness, time goes by so quickly! It's hard to believe that I'm already 59 years old. I've lived well over half of my life on earth. Each day, each year is one more closer to heaven!

I don't want to live with dread of what may or not happen... dread of a vacation ending and having to get back to a daily routine... dread of losing a loved one... dread of election results... dread caused by this world and everything going on... dread of having to decide what to cook for supper each night... dread of getting older... dread of (fill in the blank!).....

I want to live with hope! I want to see the blessings that God gives me each day! I want my trust and faith in God to be bigger than anything else! I want to live with joy! I want Jesus to be seen by others in my life, so that they will ask of the hope that is within me! I want to laugh more and love more and be more kind! I want to live life with no regrets! I want to one day hear my Heavenly Father say, "Well done, Loretta!!"

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

On a recent weekend, we went to a family home, and fixed a door. The doorframe had settled with the exterior wall more than the floor inside had, and the end of the door was hitting the floor, gouging the floor, and making it very difficult to open far enough to carry anything through. Before we went, I gathered up tools, like a circular saw, drill motor, files, sandpaper. I also brought grease to put on the hinges, and tools for trimming trees while I was there.

So, yes, we did prepare for the work ahead of us. I didn't fret about every detail, because I knew that if I missed something, we would be able to make do. I did forget a straight-edge. But we found something that would work fine. And we got all the work done.

That is a fair example for life. We can't expect to gather a harvest in the Fall, if we don't plant in the Spring. We can do the work, and prepare as much as we can. But in the end, we don't need to fret over all the details. This year, our arugula didn't work out. But that was fine. We had some chard and collards to make up for it. We could have fretted over one failure, or gather the rest. So we gathered the rest.

There is a very old quote, which seems to have originated in ancient Greece. It isn't exactly biblical, but does resemble a few verses. "Do your best and let God do the rest." We don't honestly know what the future will hold, so fretting about it does no good. Preparing for what is likely is good, but once we've prepared, it's time to move on to more uplifting or enjoyable things, and trust God.

ON THE MENEWE:

Apple Cider

Press the allspice and cloves into the slices from the orange.

Add all of the ingredients to a large pan.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Last week I attended the funeral of a 97 year old man from my hometown. He and his family owned a little gas station store near my home, when I was growing up. When the price of gas was going to raise to 40-cents per gallon, he closed down the store saying that no one would pay that much for gas! My sisters and I (as well as other kids in that area) would hunt for glass pop bottles, then go sell them back to him, so that we could buy a candy bar or bottle of pop. The pop was kept in a cooler where you'd reach in and choose what kind you wanted (they were all in glass bottles at that time), then there was a bottle opener made into the side of the cooler.

His youngest daughter and my sister were best friends when they were growing up. She ended up marrying one of my cousins. The dad wasn't thrilled about her dating, so she snuck out when she first started dating this cousin -- she was 17. When her dad finally realized that they were going to date and he was going to be around for a good long while, he gave my cousin $5 to go get a haircut. They have been married for over 45 years now (I'm not sure of the exact number of years). At the funeral, she and her husband shared that during their years of marriage they have never been broke, because they still have that $5.00 that had been given to my cousin for the haircut!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Haven't you shouldered that guilt long enough?

Let grace happen, for Heaven's sake. - Max Lucado

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org