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 3, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

My nephew and his family recently moved to Maine. I try to FaceTime the two little youngest once a week. They are now 7 years old, but I had babysat them when they were babies and got them on the bus daily once they started school. Adjusting to not seeing them almost daily, has been difficult for me.

Recently, I was talking to the little girl, Mariah, and she wanted me to draw her a picture and mail to her. I told her that I wasn't very good at drawing. She said, "Well, you can just try! You can draw an ocean and color it blue." I again told her that I'm not very good at drawing pictures, and her response was to just do my best and try.

Guess what?! I used crayons and drew her a picture! It wasn't very good, because I'm not artistically talented in this area. But I did my best and I tried! And she was happy to get mail.

I knew her brother would want something, too, so looked up online how to draw a crocodile for kids. It was very basic and childlike, but you could tell that it was a crocodile. He was excited that he had got mail from me, too.

Many times, we don't like doing things that we know we aren't good at. In fact, if we think that we're not good at something, but have never even tried, we will refuse to do so. Perhaps it's the fear of failure that prevents us from trying. It may be the fear of looking foolish in front of others. It may be a lack of self-confidence.

I thought, "This is for 7 year old kids who love me! That I would take the time to try and draw them each a picture with crayons, write them a letter, then they both get letters in the mail will be what's important to them. It has nothing to do with how pretty the pictures are. It's about me loving them and doing something to show them that I care and am thinking about them."

I used to allow fear to prevent me from trying new things. My mindset was, "I can't!" or "I am afraid!" or "I'm going to look foolish!" or "I'm too overweight to do that!" or "I'm going to fail!" or a hundred different reasons. I was worried about what people would think. I would even have conversations in my mind about, "I bet they're saying or thinking......."; and they probably weren't even thinking about me at all!

Several years ago, Jon and I traveled to Singapore for his work. I made up my mind before we went that I was going to try new foods and have new adventures. I was determined that I was not going to return home with regrets. I knew that this was a trip of a lifetime, and I wanted to experience it to the fullest and not return home thinking, "I wish I had of tried......"

I surprised Jon a few times while we were there, because there were some things that he didn't think I would do, but I did it! One was riding the Singapore Flyer, which is a 541 foot ferris wheel, with enclosed glass capsules you ride in. I had always said that I was scared of heights; which I really do get queasy sometimes, depending on the circumstances. We arrived and I said, "Let's go!" Jon was somewhat surprised and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?!" I was like, "Let's just get our tickets and get on it now!" I wanted to just get on and do it, and not stand there looking at the size or debate about riding so high in the air surrounded by glass on every side. I knew that I would later regret it, if we didn't do this. My knees were a little shaky during the 30 minute ride (especially when we got to the top!), but I did it! And I am so happy that we had that experience.

Sometimes we find that we can do things that we never thought we could do, when we will only try. Sometimes we may find that we can't do things or aren't good at things; but at least we have the experience of trying. Other times, we may make mistakes, which we can learn from. But we tried!

Whether it's simply trying to draw with crayons for a child, trying a new adventure, trying to tell someone about Jesus, or trying to comprehend the love of Jesus when we feel so undeserving..... life is filled with numerous moments of us all having to try new things.

As I get older, I'm still having to find new ways of doing things that are no longer as easy to do as they once were!

We may feel unqualified or inadequate to witness to others; but that doesn't excuse us from trying. I struggle with this at times. I am afraid that I'll say something wrong or not have an answer to their response or somehow mess things up. But when someone's eternity is at stake, how can we refuse to try and tell them about Jesus? I need to be more bold in doing so!

I understand that there are times when health issues prevents a person from doing what they once could: but when someone gives up and stops trying to do things for themselves, that's generally when you will see a decline in their health. When they start saying, "I can't... I can't....", then they become more and more dependent on others. When they begin seeing themselves as being helpless and needy, they will act that way, even though that may not be truth at that moment. But that eventually becomes their reality and soon their bodies respond to that mindset.

That's the same in many areas of our life. When we consistently think "I can't!", regardless of the situation, our bodies and minds will begin responding to that mindset.

Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Next time you start saying, "I can't!", trying saying, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." As Mariah told me, "Just try! Just do your best and try!" Let go of fears, insecurities, all of those "what ifs" that flood our mind, all of the things that we think people are saying or thinking about us, and all the other excuses...... and just try! Perhaps we can't do it in our own strength, but we can when we pray and ask Jesus to help us. We may fail or not be the best compared to others, but that's okay! Why? Because we tried! I think our Father likes it when He sees His children trying!!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

I admit, there are many things I don't believe I will ever try. For example, I don't intend to ever try a mud pie. Not that I'm afraid it will hurt me, or I'll do it wrong. But I'm certain I wouldn't like it, and don't need to try it to find out. I've actually had someone argue, "but how do you know if you don't try it." Simple: faith. It's a faith that doesn't need to be tested.

And I don't expect I'll ever try playing the piano in front of others. Not because I'm afraid, but because I've tried it in private enough to know no-one would enjoy hearing it. I didn't really expect to be great at it, but I did learn, try, and practice enough to see. Maybe if I practiced much more, I could be less embarrassing at it. But I don't have a calling for it, so decided not to waste more time at it.

I do feel that developing a website, and maintaining it is a good calling, so I've tried it, and continue with it. In fact, I've been working on new features that I may share someday. In particular, I have a page for sharing upcoming events related to our church. That is something I feel I should pursue, even though I didn't know the right languages or toolsets to start with. I'm still learning, and probably will keep learning for many years.

That's the case with a lot of things. We don't just try it once, and leave it behind. We continue using it to serve others, and continue learning and improving in it. Everyone has something they can learn and grow in.

ON THE MENEWE:

Chocolate Pie

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a pie crust and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I babysat my niece's daughter, Jovie, from birth to around age 4, when she started pre-K. When she was 3, she wanted us to go to their neighborhood park to play. She was insistent that she take her baby doll and doll stroller. I tried my best to talk her out of it, knowing that she would get tired of pushing it and I'd end up having to carry the doll and stroller, as well as hang onto Jovie. That's exactly what happened! While at the park, she was swinging. She laid across the swing on her belly and said, "Retta, swing like me!" I told her that I was too big to swing like that. So she rolled over, with her back across the swing, and told me that I could swing like that! There were two old men walking around the perimeter of the park and I thought, "I could really give these two old men a show, if I got on the swings like Jovie wanted!" I talked Jovie into letting me take care of her baby doll and just watch her swing.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.

Keep on seeking, and you will find.

Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org