Parable

 The parable of the lost sheep explains, in terms that ordinary people of the time could understand, how the ‘good shepherd’ worries over the loss of a single sheep and rejoices when that single sheep is found. God, says Jesus, cares and is worried about each one of us. When we lose our way, God will not abandon us even though family members and friends will. He would keep reminding us, through the goodness of others around us, that there is a better way to lead our lives. For Christians, this goodness comes through volunteers and groups of the faithful who engage in daily prayer, and I am grateful for those who I pray for, pray for me, and pray with me.

Nowadays, it is easy to side with anyone who tells us that by associating with ‘wicked people’ we are being wicked ourselves (even though we have skeletons not yet revealed). The meaning is simple yet profound: lost humans need a loving, personal Savior. Jesus taught this lesson three times in succession to drive home His meaning. God deeply loves and cares personally for us as individuals and that means ME. We are valuable to him, and He will seek far and wide to bring us back home to Him. When the one who was lost returns, the Good Shepherd receives him/her back with joy, and He does not rejoice alone.
I love the painting that is illustrated with this post! Yes, that is me! My beautiful, compassionate, loving, honoring my shortcomings and weaknesses, and somewhat rebellious self!
"In the parable of the lost sheep, a shepherd has a hundred sheep. One of the lambs wanders off and it lost from the fold. Perhaps this lamb was distracted by something that looked interesting. Perhaps he laid down to rest while the rest of the flock moved on. Whatever the reason, this lost sheep became lost and could not find his way back. When the shepherd discovers that the lamb is lost, he immediately goes in search of it. Once found, he places the lamb on his shoulders and brings it home rejoicing. In our high-tech, low-spirituality world it can become easy to stray from the fold. Always intending to catch up later, only to find the darkness closing in and the fold nowhere in sight. Sometimes when we wander off, we mistakenly think the shepherd has forgotten us. We feel alone and scared and believe that there is no way back. The longer we wander in the wilderness the harder it becomes to believe that anyone knows we are missing or that anyone is looking for us. As leaders we are bound by covenant to go to the homes of those who are lost. To pick them up and put them on our shoulders and bring them back to the fold. The shepherd in the parable was not worried about what the sheep might think of him showing up so late. He was only concerned that he finds the lost lamb and bring it home."

Journal Post 10 Joy in My Day

 Joy comes in many ways! A snowflake, a puppy kiss, the sweet smell of our horses eating their hay, and my husband's kisses! The crunch of snow and bacon with breakfast.

I have seen too many dark days, yet I have also seen the goodness of God and His hand at work even in the worst circumstances. I can promise you; joy does come in the morning. I felt that when I was completing legal papers this morning. I have waited many years for this moment.

John Gill tells us: "alluding to the time when all nature is fresh and gay, when man rises cheerful from his rest, darkness removes, light breaks forth, and the sun rises and sheds its beams, and everything looks pleasant and delightful; moreover, the mercies of God are new every morning, which cause joy, and call for thankfulness; and especially it is a time of joy after weeping and darkness, when the sun of righteousness arises with healing in his wings; as it will be to perfection in the resurrection morn, when the dead in Christ will rise first, and be like to him, and reign with him for evermore." I look forward to this day for the TRUTHS of all will be presented to those who told lies. This will be another joy for me. One of my favorite books of the Bible is Psalms. Psalm 30 was written by David. In His commentary on the Bible, Matthew Henry writes, “This is a psalm of thanksgiving for the great deliverances which God had wrought for David, penned … upon his recovery from a dangerous fit of sickness, which might happen to be about the time of the dedication of his house.” I am soon to be delivered and the she-devil exposed as well as her "army".

The Psalm begins with David praising God and thanking Him for not allowing his enemies to rejoice over him. He also thanks God for healing him after he cried out to Him for help. He sings praises to God and encourages others to do the same. Then comes our key verse, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5, NASB). The word used here for joy is the Hebrew word Rinnah. It means “ringing cry of entreaty, supplication” or “ringing cry in proclamation, joy, praise.” Can you feel the tension in this word? It’s both a cry of prayer and a praise. It’s a powerful word, a powerful concept. It shows that joy is found not after pain, not after everything is made right but in the midst of it. The only way this is possible is because of the work of the Lord. He is the only one who can enter our pain and fill us with joy.

The word Rinnah is used 33 other times in the Bible. Let’s take a look at some of these verses and see what else Scripture has to say about joy. (The following verses are all in the New American Standard Version.)

“O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy”. Psalm 47:1.

“And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout”, Psalm 105:43.

“Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. And tell of His works with joyful singing", Psalm 107:22.

“The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly”, Psalm 118:15.

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them’” Psalm 126:2.

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting”, .

“And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away” Isaiah 35:10.

“Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted” Isaiah 49:13.

“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,’ says the LORD” Isaiah 54:1.

“For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands” Isaiah 55:12.

“The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17.

I know it can feel impossible to experience joy in our worst circumstances. It can feel like a cruel joke, something we’re taunted with and fear we’ll never experience again. But joy is possible! So how can we experience joy in our worst circumstances? I think it’s important to know that happiness and joy are not the exact same thing. Happiness is a feeling based on pleasant circumstances, but I believe joy is something we can choose even in the midst of our worst circumstances. For years, I have lived the worst of the worst and slowly living and loving my best life making sure that my husband and I are secure, loving our time together, and loving my diplomas on the wall! My success has been silence, but it doesn't mean I have not noticed what was still going on behind my back. And the important persons in my life who assisted in making it happen.

Even Jesus chose joy in His worst circumstance. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

This is important: Jesus didn’t experience joy because of the pain of the cross or the shame heaped upon Him, but He did endure horrible circumstances for the joy that came out of it. He chose to walk in obedience to God because of the joy set before Him. The joy of reconciling man and God. The joy of conquering sin and death. The joy of the resurrection. The joy of making a way for us to be free and experience new life. He endured hostility so we will not grow weary and lose heart. We can experience joy in the midst of our worst circumstances because He is with us.

We look to Jesus. We abide in Him and simply ask Him to fill us with joy. Abiding with Jesus means spending time with Him. As we spend time with Him, we allow His truth and love to fill our weary hearts and fill us with joy.

In John 15, we read about what it means to abide. I love what Jesus says in John 15:9, 11: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love…These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

Joy is found in Jesus. Joy is found in my husband. Joy is found in our home. Joy is found on our farm and livestock. Joy is found in my career. Joy is found in my college classes. It’s as simple and beautiful as that. We make things so complicated sometimes, I know I do. But when we cease our striving, we’ll find peace and joy in our Lord; even in the midst of our worst circumstances. When we are faithful, the Lord provides meaning in our trials and joy in our success.

Journal Post 9 Public Facade

 I read the funniest statement ... It happened to come through on my LinkedIn profile that I was updating. I am sure everyone is aware that it is easy to see who has looked at your profile. Lo and BEHOLD, there she was! My woman stalker! I didn't see it at first; a friend that was with me did and she was laughing so hard, she could barely point it out to me! ... AND JOHNNY SAYS HELLO ... On a professional page! How tacky is that! Little does she know that my husband was investigating Johnny long before her delusional interference. I am sure she would be surprised on the outcome was of the investigation.

Some time ago, a woman who lives in her area mentioned how she posted everything about her lovers, how many she had, and how they still adored her! We laughed over supper! If she was so adored, why isn't she with anyone of them, living alone in shabby conditions! Where is her man that loves her so deeply that he would care for her, be a spiritual helpmate, and make her his wife! And there is word for a woman with many lovers! AND it has been documented that she would leave her ill husband for other men!

I am sure many couples can relate as to how difficult marriage and relationships can be. Throw a chronic illness in the mix, and they can be even harder. I love being married though! And there’s no one else I’d rather have by my side than my husband. I got really lucky when he asked me to marry him. But it’s been more than just luck that’s made our marriage work. Any marriage takes work and sacrifice, but a marriage in which one of the partners is chronically ill can take extra work. Statistics report that divorce rates for couples with a chronically ill spouse are as high as 75%. It’s given me a different perspective on life. We don’t have things as easy as some people might in their relationships. It’s made me more appreciative of the little things that we share together. It’s also made me a more compassionate person and has softened my heart. I didn’t use to be as understanding as I am now. So, in that way, it’s made me a better person.

That’s an eye-opening statistic. And I don’t share it to scare any of my chronically ill readers. I bring it up to remind those of us with a chronic illness that it’s something to be mindful of in our relationships. It makes communication in a relationship that much more important. My woman stalker left her husband in the middle of his illness and did not even know that he had passed away. No matter how much my husband is in pain, no matter how much he yells at me, I would always make sure that he has a beautiful home, comfortable bed with clean linens, pressed laundry, and good food. It is estimated that over 100 million Americans live with a chronic condition or chronic pain. And for every one of those people, there’s someone out there who loves them. My devotion is to him, to make him as comfortable as possible, and let him know that he is loved. This is something that the "Johnny's" cannot bring to the table!

Obviously, those that do, do! And those that can't, have many lovers! As for me, I can have a happy and healthy relationship even when my husband has a chronic illness. It is absolutely possible. My life and relationship may look different than others, but it can still be a good life and we have a very strong relationship. With good communication and lots of understanding, you can make the most of a relationship in which one partner has a chronic condition. This is called keeping the covenant of marriage through the good and the not so good!