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

February 12, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Back last fall, my left knee starting hurting. It kept getting more and more painful. It would wake me up when I rolled over during the night. Our house is two-story with all of the bedrooms on the upper floor, and walking up and down the stairs was a slow and tedious process. I couldn't go downstairs the normal way, but had to take a step with one foot, then bring the other foot down to that step. I was definitely the tortoise, not the hare!

At that time, there were three women in our church (and it's a small church!) who were all having really bad knee issues; two of them having had unsuccessful surgeries. I was like, "Nope! Not going to happen! Satan needs to just leave me alone. I am healed, in Jesus' name!"

Every day, I would pray for healing in my knee; especially as I was going up and down the stairs. I thanked Jesus for being my healer and for strengthening my knee and taking my pain; and declaring that by His stripes I was healed.

The pain began leaving my knee, until it was completely well and I could walk up and down the stairs completely pain free. I no longer would wake up during the night when I rolled over, from knee issues. For quite some time now, I've had zero pain and it's completely healed. Thank you, Jesus, for my healing!

This past Friday evening, Jon and I went out to eat. It was misting rain and everything was wet. We had to park about a block (I don't know - I'm still a country girl, so maybe it was a block and maybe not!) away from the restaurant. Jon and I were strolling down the sidewalk and in a split second, I went from standing upright to being on my hands and knees. Jon stood there looking at me dumbfounded and asked, "What happened?!" He was as puzzled as I was! I had no idea. I didn't feel like I had stumbled or tripped or slipped... I just suddenly hit the ground! And I landed on the concrete really, really hard on that left knee.

My first initial thought was, "Oh no! I hit that same knee that had caused me problems a few months ago!!" Then I quickly countered that thought with, "NO! Jesus healed my knee! I will be fine."

Thankfully, no one was anywhere around to see my big fall. I didn't want to push up and put anymore pressure on my knees, so rolled over (getting by backside soaked by sitting on the sidewalk!) and was able to stand upright and walk the rest of the way to the restaurant.

That knee has the hide scraped off and is red, but it has had absolutely NO pain, no bruising, no soreness, no swelling.... nothing! I am not a tiny woman... I'm not a young woman.... that was a lot of weight to suddenly hit the concrete for a 59 year old chubby girl! That was a hard hit for my hands and knees. I am so incredibly thankful for Jesus protecting me!!

Growing up, Daddy and Mama gathered my sisters and me in the living room each night before bedtime and we had prayer together as a family.

When Jon and I first got married, I told him about our family prayer time and we decided that this was something we wanted to do. So beginning the first night we were married, the last thing we do each evening before going to sleep is to pray together. Generally, Jon will pray first out loud, then I will pray.

I don't remember when or why this first started, but several years ago, I found myself ending my prayers each evening by saying, "Keep us healthy and strong of body, mind, soul and spirit." It's not just empty words or something that has become tradition or an empty request. That is truly the desire of my heart; that God would keep both Jon and myself healthy in all of those areas. And He has!

Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue can bring death or life....." Other versions says, "The tongue has the power of life and death..."

This is so true; whether we are speaking of spiritual, physical, or emotion life or death. Our words can bring about worry, fear, frustration and all kinds of negativity and "death". But that same tongue can, also, speak words that bring about hope, encouragement, forgiveness, love, kindness, positivity and "life".

James 3:10 says, "Blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!"

Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, we can still speak words of hope and life. Even when our prayers aren't answered as we desire or when we want, we can still speak words of hope and life. Why? Because our trust and confidence is in our Heavenly Father, not in ourself or in our situation.

It's not only the words we speak aloud, but the thoughts we think, too!

We all go through hard things. People have gone through difficulties since the beginning of time on earth. None of us are exempt. Sometimes we have to endure sickness and pain and family disruptions and all different types of hardships. There may be times when it seems overwhelming and too difficult to bear. But God's Word is filled with hope!

In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul is writing and says that he was given a thorn in his flesh. He says that this was from Satan and its purpose was to torment him. He doesn't reveal what this thorn was, that he had to deal with. No one knows if this "thorn" was something physical, emotional, a person, a situation..... We just know that it was something that Paul found difficult to bear.

He writes, "Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, 'My grace is all you need (is sufficient). My power works best in weakness.'" Or "My (God's) strength is made perfect in weakness."

Paul goes on to say, "So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure (what?!) in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. (Here's what to remember!) For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul didn't take pleasure in the fact that he had to deal with all of those things that were hard and difficult. He wasn't saying, "Look at me and all the tough things I have to endure." He wasn't looking for pity, or saying that he had to endure more than anyone else.

What he was saying is that in spite of all of those things, he took pleasure in them because God had promised that His grace would be sufficient... more than enough... all that Paul needed. God promised that in Paul's weaknesses, HIS strength is made perfect. Power and strength through weakness sound contradictory. But it's not when we are leaning on the Lord and focusing on Him, instead of everything that is going wrong.

What happens when we go through those times of weakness... those times of extreme difficulty... those times when the situation looks impossible? Does it drive us to our knees where we call upon God, knowing that we can trust Him? Are we secure in believing that He loves us and always has our best interest at heart? Do we live with peace and joy in our heart, full of hope and expectation in God's promises? When we have prayed and prayed and prayed, maybe for years, without seeing a breakthrough do we persevere with patience, thinking, "Today may be the day that God answers!" If not today, then tomorrow we will be one day closer to Him revealing His plan and unwrapping His gift, His will, His plan.

So why did I share that story about God healing my knee and protecting it when I fell? Because I wanted to share a testimony to give you hope! I wanted you to see that God still heals, He still answers prayers, and He still protects.

God could have protected me from falling. He could have kept my feet steady from whatever happened that caused me to take that hard tumble. But He didn't. Instead, He showed me His faithfulness and love and kindness and strength through picking me back up and causing me to endure the fall without any negative repercussions. Had I not fallen, I would have just gone on my way and not realized that God had protected me. Instead, I got to witness Him taking care of me and protecting me and proving His great love for me. How special is that?!?

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Back in the 1990's, when I was in college, some friends and I were walking across the campus when someone came out of a fraternity and asked if we wanted to buy some stereos, TVs, or other electronics. They were all really cheap. We weren't interested in any stolen merchandise! We kept telling him "No!", but he kept annoying us. Big mistake. We got to our dorm (about 3 blocks away), still being hounded. So we told him we would have to go inside to get cash, and non-students weren't allowed inside, so he would have to wait outside. We went in and called the police and explained the whole story, including where he said he had a van full of the electronics. As far as we knew, the story was over.

Months later, we heard another side of the story. The two students working the desk at the dorm could tell we were up to something interesting, so they watched. The guy came in a little while after us. So they called security to report a suspicious character in the dorm. The police came, and arrested him. I believe they also confiscated the van, but didn't hear any confirmation about that. It was enough that he was already wanted in another state for much more serious crimes.

I suspect we all have stories like the first half. We get partially involved in something, but only see a small piece of the story. As far as we know, it's something vaguely interesting, and memorable, but not major. But it is really only a small part of something much bigger.

Maybe we show kindness to someone who was on the verge of giving up on life, but gets enough hope to turn their life around. Maybe we lose a Bible, only for someone who desperately needs it to find and read it. Maybe we stop at a yellow light, and prevent the driver behind us from running a red light and causing a major accident.

I hope that when we are in heaven, we can find out the rest of the story.

But I do try to remember to pray and give thanks to God sometimes for all the miracles He has worked for us that we don't know about, and the protection we are blissfully unaware of, like trips and falls that never happened.

ON THE MENEW:

Quick and Easy Chili

Brown meat and onions; drain. Salt to taste. Add the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

To make less spicy, you can replace the can of Rotel with diced tomatoes.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

When my nephew, Jax, was 3 years old I was babysitting him in my home one day. I was typing on the computer and he was watching a cartoon. I looked up and he was hitting the TV screen with his hands. I told him to stop -- twice. He stopped and I went back to what I was doing. A few minutes later I heard him loudly huffing. I looked over and he was sitting on the fireplace ledge with his arms crossed, lips rolled down, and kept huffing loud enough where I could hear him. I asked if he was pouting and he said yes. I asked if it was because I had told him to stop hitting the TV... he said yes. I thought it was funny and started laughing. He was trying really hard to not smile, but just couldn't help himself. His pouting didn't last very long.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You,

all whose thoughts are fixed on You! Isaiah 26:3

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org