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 16, 2025

Happy Easter!

LIFE IN THE FOLD

As Easter approaches, we are reminded of the ultimate sacrifice and gift of love given by Jesus. It is hard for our minds to comprehend Jesus loving us so much, that He was willing to endure suffering and death, on our behalf.

The best example I can think of in my personal life, is so minute compared to what Christ endured for my sake.

My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer when I was eight years old. From that time until her death, when I was fifteen, she valiantly fought to win the battle over cancer. Over the period of seven years, Mama went through four surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, wearing a colostomy, and much pain and suffering. Through it all, her faith in God remained steadfast and strong. There were mornings when I heard her in the bathroom crying because of the severity of the pain. She would be begging God to either heal her or let her die.

A few years after her death on February 22, 1981, one of my aunts was talking to me about Mama, and told me that the two of them had talked many times, and the reason my mom had fought so long and so hard was for my sake. I was so young at the time, and she felt like I needed her. Mama was concerned about me, and how I would adjust if she were no longer there to take care of me and guide me.

After my aunt told me that, I felt really guilty for several years. I had seen firsthand the extreme suffering that Mama had dealt with, and I felt like it was my fault that she had endured it for so many years.

I was talking to one of my sisters about it a few years ago, and she was surprised that I had felt that way. She told me that she thought I would have felt honored that Mama would love me enough, that she was willing to go through all that for me.

It made me stop and realize that Mama would never have wanted me to carry the load of guilt I had been feeling. Mama would have wanted me to know that she had willingly chosen to fight for her life, out of love for her "baby" daughter.

I loved my Mama with my whole heart, but it wasn't until I was older and had matured, that I was able to recognize and appreciate the depth of love she had for me.

It would have been so easy to blame God and be angry at Him, for not healing Mama and not leaving her here to nurture and care for me. I could have chosen to let bitterness reside within me, because she was taken away from her family at the age of forty-eight, when we all needed her so much.

But I know to do so would dishonor everything that my mom ever taught me and all that she stood for. The best way I can think of to honor the legacy Mama left behind is to grow to be the Godly, Christian woman that she would have wanted me to be. I can be a woman of integrity and follow her example of being a loving, faithful wife. All the characteristics and traits that made her such a remarkable woman, I can choose to incorporate into my own life. Then her suffering will not have been in vain, but the end result is a daughter who follows God and is strong in her faith. That would have been the desire of Mama's heart, and what she would have wanted more than anything for me.

Out of his boundless love for us, God sent His only Son to suffer and die for our sins, yet how many times do we let circumstances keep us from accepting that gift? Life doesn't go as planned or we face difficulties, so we blame God. Or we carry around guilt for bad decisions or mistakes we have made, so we feel unworthy to come to God and ask Him for forgiveness.

The whole time He is waiting, with arms outstretched, for us to come to Him. Can you imagine how it must break the heart of God, that He gave His only Son for mankind, yet that gift and promise of eternal life is not accepted by multitudes of individuals? It's like people are saying, "Sorry God, I don't need Your gift." We show dishonor by not accepting Jesus into our hearts.

The best way we can honor and thank Jesus for coming to earth and dying on the cross for our sins, is to accept His gift of salvation and live our lives for Him. We do that by asking Jesus to come into our hearts and forgive us for our sins. We then get to know Him and form a relationship with Him, through prayer and reading the Bible. If we choose to do so, then His suffering was not in vain.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Many years ago, I had lost quite a few banking and financial records. They didn't amount to much, so I didn't think much about them. But years later, I received a letter saying that there were several sums of unclaimed money in my name. I looked into it, and was able to collect all of it. It was mostly small amounts, like a security deposit on an apartment, but it did add up. And all I had to do was contact the right person and they sent me a check for the total.

That's a lot how forgiveness and salvation are. It has already been paid for. All we have to do is contact Jesus, and accept it.

ON THE MENEWE:

Frito Salad

Combine all ingredients together, except for Fritos and Catalina dressing. Fold those in right before serving.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I love thinking back on past Easter memories. We would have egg hunts at school, when I was a kid. We had egg hunts at church after the Easter morning service. Back then, everyone would boil their own eggs and dye them, which was fun. Six of the area churches got together each evening the week leading up to Easter and had what was called pre-Easter services. The churches each had a night assigned to them and would do the music and their pastor would preach. Everyone loved coming together to hear the singing and preaching of the different churches involved. Then early on Sunday morning, we would gather one last time for a sunrise service. There was one lady who I thought was so fancy! Each year she would wear a hat that matched her dress to the sunrise service. I loved seeing what she would be wearing to the service each year.

Mama always made sure that she and my sisters and I had a new Easter dress; which for many years was homemade. And we always got new shoes. I still like holding onto that tradition -- although my dresses are no longer homemade, but store-bought!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?

He (Jesus) isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Luke 24:5b-6a

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org