THE NEW EWE
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
July 30, 2025
LIFE
IN THE FOLDThis past week has been an emotional roller coaster. Actually, the past month has been pretty emotional, building up to this last weekend.
My nephew and his family moved to Maine; which seems so far, far away! I've been very involved in their family ever since my nephew got out of the military and they moved here in 2012. I've cared for their children and watched them grow up. The two youngest are adopted and I've been a part of their lives since they first came to the family; one when he was almost 1 year old and the other as a newborn. For seven years, I've developed a very strong relationship with those children and it's breaking my heart for them to move so far away.
The youngest is the one who came into their family as a newborn, straight from the hospital. I began babysitting her right away, and the two of us formed a special bond over the past seven years. I'm going to miss their family with all my heart, but my heart is grieving this little girl moving away from me. I cannot imagine my life without her in it and being able to see her and spend time with her whenever I want. Needless to say, I've cried many tears over this situation of the family moving away.
I know that my nephew and his wife are excited about a new adventure for their family, and I've tried to not express my feelings when I've been with them, but it's been tough. I know that my sister and the rest of her family have big feelings about the family moving, too.
My nephew and his wife and the two oldest kids left with the U-Haul and pets and family vehicle about a week ago. They knew that the drive would be too long and difficult for the two younger children. It took them two-and-a-half days to get to Maine. They wanted to get there, unloaded, beds set up and some boxes unpacked before the two little ones arrived. So this past Sunday, Jon and I dropped the kids and their grandma off at the airport. That was a tough goodbye, seeing those babies (I know! They're 7!! But they'll always be 'the babies' to me!) walk away, knowing it would be several months before I'll see them again.
Besides this move, there have been other tough family situations happening. I've watched the stress of family members dealing with difficulties, making me feel helpless, not knowing how to help. It's been a tough, long season for some of my family.
Recently, someone was sharing about some things going on and my response was that I was so very sorry that they were having to go through so much stress. Their response was, "Yes, it's been stressful; but God has been good."
There is a popular worship song entitled "Goodness of God". The chorus is: "All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able; I will sing of the goodness of God".
When we are believers, even during tough situations, we can see the goodness of God. We may hurt, cry, grieve, experience stress and/or disappointments, feel pain, suffer with sickness and disease...... but through it all, we can say, "Yes, I'm experiencing (whatever it may be), but God is still good." Our faith is in God, not in our feelings or in our situation.
Over the past several weeks, I've had to reaffirm the fact that I trust God. Even though God hasn't answered prayers like I would have liked, I still trust Him. Even though I don't understand why things are happening to family members and why they are experiencing so many struggles, I still trust Him.
This past Sunday, my sister had a very unexpected day when she was flying with the two little ones. First of all, their flight was late leaving; which meant that they landed at the airport for their connecting flight only 15 minutes before boarding began. They had to ride Skylink to get to the terminal for that flight, which had a long line waiting for it to come. After finally getting onto Skylink, the doors wouldn't close, which meant it couldn't move. All of the above meant a missed flight. So they spent an hour and a half waiting in line for rebooking another flight. Finally, they got tickets booked for connecting flights, which instead of a direct flight to their destination, they would have another layover. They were able to finally get a quick bite to eat, then had to rush to board. Upon arrival at the next airport, they found that their final flight had been cancelled. The line to rebook was horribly long and they were all exhausted, especially the two little ones. After talking to her son, my sister made the decision to take a shuttle to a hotel so they could get some sleep. Her son made arrangements for a car rental pick up for Monday morning and they made the decision that she and the kids would drive the rest of the way to Maine, instead of trying to find another flight and spending more time in the airport. Overall, they felt that would be the better solution and they would end up getting there quicker.
We were all feeling so bad for my sister and all she was having to deal with; as well as for the kids and the exhausting day that they had had, too. And it was a really tough day that didn't go anything as planned.
But my oldest sister reminded us of something our dad used to always say: "Don't complain when delays happen, because it may be the Lord saving you from something happening." Janie said that she had thought that over and over again throughout the day. Every time she felt frustrated, she thought of that.
Another sister commented that she felt so bad that this had happened and Janie's response was, "It's okay. We're safe."
Also, Janie has problems with her knees hurting from time to time; and at times, it's pretty painful. But with all the walking and standing that she had to do, her knees never hurt or gave her any problems.
Is this how Janie wanted her day to go? Absolutely not! The delays cut into the time she was getting to spend with her son and his family, before heading back home. She had to end up spending most of Monday driving with two 7-year olds, instead of enjoying relaxing with family. Frustrations occurred, exhaustion was felt, and things didn't go as planned. But she still saw the goodness of God throughout this whole situation and trusted that He was taking care of her and the kids and was continuously with them.
We can be frustrated and experience difficulties, but at the same time, have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. We can have our plans disrupted and delays occur, but still trust that God is directing our steps and involved in every detail of our life and what is happening. We can be exhausted and question why things are happening as they are, but at the same time, put our faith in the fact that God sees the whole picture while we can only see a tiny part. We can rest in knowing that God is our good, good Father and we are always in His care. He protects and keeps us and will never leave or forsake us.
JON'S
PERSPECTIVE:People come and go in our lives. Just like seasons come and go. It can be painful, especially when someone you have spent years bonding with goes. But it's still worth it to make those bonds, and get deeply close to others.
Power poles are strong enough to handle some very tight wires tied to them. It isn't always obvious, but they don't really stand alone. Most of them have wires pulling on them from neighboring poles on opposite sides. Even then, they are actually helping support each other. Once in a while, someone will drive into one of the poles, and snap it off at the base. The wires will still hold the top up, even if the middle is swinging in the breeze. When the power lines make a turn, they use guy wires to pull the pole against the power lines. It makes a 3-way tug-of-war that balances out. Those places are even stronger than the straight lines.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 describes similar. One might be strong, two are stronger, and three are not easily broken. Creating bonds with others makes us stronger. Even though we have lost some very integral parts of our family for now, we still have bonds that keep us strong. The greatest of these bonds is with Jesus. He will never leave. He will never break. We are always stronger with Him.
ON
THE MENEWE:Fried Squash
Slice the squash in a lidded bowl. Crack an egg over the squash. Place the lid on the bowl and shake, to coat. Add yellow cornmeal. Shake again, to coat. Heat oil in a frying pan. Put all of the squash in the pan and fry, with lid on. Stir as needed.
Note: If you want, you could fry the squash in batches to more evenly brown.
THIS,
THAT AND THE OTHER:Last week I had my nephew's two kids off and on for a few days. If you have read the devotional, you know that they are moving to Maine, so I cherished those last days I was able to spend with them, before they left. My sister came over (the kids grandma) with them one day and they all spent one night with us. The little girl loves building forts out of blankets, so I had let her built a fort in my living room. She had made all kinds of things out of smaller boxes, which were sitting around. My sister later mentioned that she had never seen my house looking like that! It was a huge mess!! I told her it was okay. My house would get cleaned later, but my time making memories with those kids was the most important for those few days.
Let the kids and grandkids, nieces and nephews make a mess sometimes! It's okay! Enjoy the memories that you make together, more than trying to keep a neat and tidy house. The mess can be cleaned, but you can never get that time back again, so make the most of each moment you have together.
THOUGHT
TO PONDER:God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. Psalms 18:30
OUR
HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:We love you!
Loretta & Jon