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

October 30, 2024

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Last week our 12 year old dog had to have some surgery. He's overall healthy, but just needed some things taken care of. He had a growth on his forehead that started out as what we thought was a wart, then grew and became very messy and disgusting looking. It was oozing a bloody fluid, that was getting all over everything -- our carpet, bedding, furniture..... It possibly may have been a skin cancer, but we won't know for a couple weeks.

He also had several abscessed teeth that were loose. He was very stinky with all that infection in his mouth. So we decided to have all of that cleaned out and those teeth pulled at the same time. Being an old dog, we thought it better if he only had to have anesthesia one time. Sammie had already lost most of his teeth, so with the nine that he had pulled during this surgery, he is only left with four front teeth. But he is no longer stinky and I'm sure will feel so much better after his gums heal and the stitches in his mouth dissolve.

Sammie is having to wear an inflatable collar around his neck for a couple weeks, so he wouldn't scratch at the stitches on his forehead or rub at his mouth.

He has done amazingly well! When we picked him up, he was pretty pitiful looking. All evening he just wanted to lay on me and was pretty much out of it. He was so groggy and wobbly. But by the next morning, he was going outside and taking care of business and he was eating well. He acts as if he doesn't even know that the collar is around his neck and hasn't messed with it. He is jumping, like normal. They had said that his nose might be bloody, due to the dental work, but it never was. They also said that his gums could possibly bleed and we'd see a pink tinge to his water bowl, due to that; but that never happened either. He was on pain meds for four days, and Jon was able to give that to him with very little problem.... just a little growling.

In the scheme of things, this may seem very insignificant and of no importance. But we've had Sammie for 12 years now and he's been our constant companion and we've become attached to him. With him being an old dog, we weren't sure how he'd handle surgery. We prayed for him, that he would do well, and God answered. He likely only has another two to three years of life left... maybe more, maybe less. But for now, he's going well and overall healthy.

If you are a pet owner, you will understand. If not, and if you aren't particularly an animal lover, you won't. But I use this as an example for a reason.

God created all of the various kinds of animals. We can read about that in Genesis chapter one. But He didn't just create them, then forget about them. They are still important to Him.

Matthew 6:26-30 says, "Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"

There are two things that I think many people have a tendency to do. One, is that they compare their problems or their needs to others, then feel guilty, because they see others who have much bigger issues than they do. So they don't want to bother God with their concerns, as if He will think less of them for feeling as they do or won't want to hear what is heavy on their heart. Secondly, is they feel insignificant and unworthy to bring their burdens to the Lord. Perhaps they have done something that is wrong, so they fear that God won't forgive them and will think less of them. It could be that they feel as if others are better than them or that they are looked down upon. Perhaps they've faced trauma in their past that causes them to feel that they are lacking in some way.

First of all, just because someone has bigger problems than we do doesn't diminish ours or how we feel. It doesn't mean that God doesn't want to hear our prayers regarding those things or thinks we are wasting His time by talking to Him about them. God is big enough to handle everyone's request at the same time, and He cares equally about each one.

For example, if a toddler were to break their arm and another toddler was to fall down and bump their head, both will feel pain and cry. Both need to be cared for and given comfort. Granted, the one with a broken bone will feel the pain the longest and will have to endure the hardship of being in a cast for a few weeks, and the one who bumped their head will feel better in a few minutes; but both feel something uncomfortable and need to be shown love and care in the moment of their pain. Would it be fair to tell the toddler who fell down, "Get back up and stop crying! You don't have anything to cry about!! You don't even know what pain is. What you feel is nothing compared to the pain of what other children have to suffer!!" That would be unfeeling and hard-hearted.

Yet adults often do that same thing with God. We fail to bring all of our hurts and needs to Him, because we compare them to someone else and feel like ours are insignificant and small. We expect His reaction to be one way, when it would actually be something all together different. He is a loving, caring Father who kisses all of our boo-boo's and dries all of our tears, regardless of how large or small the situation may be. He just wants to be the one that we run to for help and reassurance and compassion.

Honestly, last Friday after I dropped Sammie off at the vet and had talked to them about that growth possibly being cancer and about the surgery and the infection in his mouth, I felt very emotional as I drove away. My eyes would tear up as I thought about Sammie . It didn't matter how many times I told myself that I was just being silly; I still had very sensitive emotions and the tears still came. Do you think God cared about how I felt at that moment; or do you think He was thinking, "You're a crazy women! It's just a dog! Suck it up, buttercup; people have a lot more serious problems than you do!" I know with all of my heart that God understood how I felt and that He cared!! Even though there are thousands of people who have lost their homes due to the hurricane, or recently lost loved ones, are are in the hospital fighting for their lives, or just lost their jobs and everything that they own, or are suffering abuse....... God equally cares for me, His daughter.

Stop comparing yourself or your needs or your hurts to those of others. We will all always find those who are worse off than we are, but also those who are better off than we are. God meets us each where we are.

God never views anyone as being unworthy or insignificant. He sees each individual as being special and sees their potential. He loves so deeply and desires to have a personal relationship with each person. It hurts Him when people sin or rebel or cause hurt or turns to acts of wickedness and hatred or lashes out in anger, etc. But God still loves. In spite of failures and mistakes, our Father will continue to pursue individuals until they come to Him with a repentant heart. He desires to hear from us.

The scripture that I used from Matthew are words from Jesus. He spoke them to show that our Heavenly Father cares for each bird and makes sure that they are fed. He dresses the lilies that are in a field with such beauty, that it doesn't even compare to the majesty of Solomon. Even though those flowers have a short life and are so beautiful today, but wilted and gone tomorrow, God wonderfully cares for them.

Jesus asked, "Aren't you more far more valuable to your Heavenly Father than the birds, whom He feeds? If God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, He will certainly care for you!"

We can bring our burdens and cares, both big and small, to the Father. He wants us to do so! But another point that Jesus made was this: We do so without worry. Worrying does no good. It can't add a single moment to our life.

Jesus ends this passage of scripture by saying, "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

I love that: "Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs." Does that mean that since He knows them, then we shouldn't talk to God and share our heart and our needs with Him? Absolutely not! God, our Father, wants to hear from us. He wants to hear our thanks, our praise, our concerns, our worries, our needs, etc.

On Friday, my prayer was for our dog, that he would do well with the surgery and that his recovery would go well. This morning, my knee was sore and achy, so I needed healing, which is what I asked for. We are not limited to a set number of requests per week; but day by day by day, we can come to the Father for what we need for that moment. Aren't you thankful that we have such a loving, caring Father?!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

I admit, when I have something coming up, I tend to worry about it. I'll plan out how to address it, what tools I may need, what information I should print out to prepare, etc. I tend to just call it being prepared instead of worrying.

In Luke 10, Jesus sent 72 of His followers into other towns, and, among other instructions, told them "Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road." Normally for a journey to another town, they would want to prepare. They should at least carry some money or a sack with a meal or two. And either wear very good quality sandals, or carry a spare pare. It must have seemed irresponsible to travel with nothing. That's why it took so much faith.

In Genesis 6, God told Noah to prepare for a great flood. He had to take everything with him.

In Exodus 4, God sent Moses back to Egypt with little more than a staff.

The point is, if God is sending us, He will tell us what to bring, and He will take care of the rest.

ON THE MENEWE:

Cabbage Casserole

Preheat oven to 350.

Coarsely chop cabbage. Place in a 3-quart casserole dish. Chop onion and spread over the top of cabbage. Pour 1/2 stick melted butter over the top.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a small dish, mix cream of chicken soup and mayonnaise together. Spread evenly on top of cabbage mixture in pan.

For the topping: Crush sleeve of Ritz crackers. Mix crushed crackers with 1 stick of melted butter and grated cheese. Spread over top of casserole.

Bake for 45 minutes or until top is browned and inside is bubbly.

This reheats really well.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

When one of my nephew's was a toddler, he was a biter. My sister bought a new-to-her car around that time. It was a Plymouth Duster and the dash was like a vinyl covered foam. My nephew took a big bite out of the dash shortly after my sister bought the car. She didn't find it funny at the time, but now can laugh about having teeth marks and a big chunk bitten out of that car dash. His parents were pastors of a church. One time during the service, he crawled underneath the pew and bit the back of an older woman's leg. She didn't find it funny and was upset! He was probably around age 2 at the time. My sister had four boys, with only about 6 years separating the oldest from the youngest, so she had her hands full!!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Find joy in every day.

Not because life is always good, but because the Lord is. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org