Hey ladies. I hope this finds you doing well! Todays article is hoped to inspire and move anyone who needs to hear this.

So we have all been there to different degrees. A bad day. An argument with our hubby, kids not listening, something breaks and needs to be replaced, we are moody, get caught up in sin, the list goes on and on.

When we mess up, it can leave us feeling like failures if we let it. Sometimes those mess ups are big and maybe even life changing.

When others mess up sometimes it affects us to varying degrees.

Sometimes the wounds can go deep.

Some of our decisions can hurt ourselves or others and maybe even have huge consequences.

Our families can be affected to different degrees by our behavior. We can affect them positively or negatively. This goes for ourselves too.

Other people can affect us in the same way.

How are we dealing with life’s many challenges? How do we deal with choices we make that might not be so good? How do we deal with others poor choices? How are we dealing with struggles?

Sometimes it seems like something gets repeated far too many times. How awful do we feel when we struggled yet again?

Every single person who ever existed, besides Yeshua, fell and falls short. We must realize this reality. However, not being able to never sin does not give us free reign to sin freely or somehow give us the permission to continue in sin. It matters how we react to it. We must understand that sin and falling short will happen, without a doubt for ourselves and everyone around us and more than academically. Saying it isn’t enough. We can say this but not be truly internalizing and living it.

How do we handle those shortcomings? How do we handle those BIG shortcomings? Both for ourselves and from others. It matters. Sin is sin and unrepented sin separates us from our Father. Of course there is sin that has much bigger consequences and is incredibly serious compared to others.

However, we should never be of the mindset that we don’t commit those “big” sins so we are doing ok because after all, “I’m not perfect” sayings. Personally I can’t stand saying things like this. Everyone knows that no one is perfect. We all know we are works in progress. If perfection was required, we would all be doomed every day. Striving for perfection is great but we will never hit that mark. Yah knew we couldn’t. That is why He gave us the gift of repentance and all that comes with it. So I don’t feel the need to say it. I’m sure it slips out of my mouth every now and then but I prefer not to voice it.

We should never excuse or enable our own sins or those of another. Of course there are things no one should ever just put up with. What we should be doing is exactly what the Father does for us- extending compassion, grace, mercy, forgiveness, long suffering, gentleness, love and much more. Freely He has given, freely we should give as well. This principle should be applied in our lives as well. Our daily interactions should exude this.

It is sad when someone is caught up in sin, bad attitudes, behavior and making bad choices in their life. It can be us or anyone around us at any given time. It can be kinda not that big of a deal in the grand scheme or it can be so painful.

I love the story of the Shepherd with his 100 sheep. What do they do? They love and care for all of them. What happens when one goes astray? When they get caught up in going their own way? When they got distracted by something more interesting and enticing? When they weren’t watching and got lost? The Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after that one lost sheep. That Shepherd doesn’t stop and be like, they knew better, they should have known better or say I don’t want to be bothered dealing with this and perhaps yet again. They don’t get angry or gossipy and start bad mouthing the sheep who went astray to the ones who are left. NO! That Shepherd goes after that sheep. He searches until it is found. Looks high and low and goes to where that sheep is to bring it back. That Shepherd rejoices and asks others to rejoice when the lost sheep was found. He didn’t stop loving that one or say oh well you’re on your own, too bad for you.

Do we approach life like this? Towards ourselves and others? Especially within our families?

Now of course, I know that sometimes there has to be consequences and sometimes there are big ones. I know there are times when we have to love people from a distance. Sometimes we have to let certain people just make their own choices and deal with their own consequences to their actions. This can be so hard and be so painful. Yah let’s us make our own decisions and sometimes has to watch us make some serious mistakes and yet He still chases us for repentance and wants us to come back to Him.

However, we can control ourselves and how we react to things. This is all part of loving our family and ourselves. How would we want Yah to treat and handle us? How did the Messiah treat others and handle them? You have to get into the Bible to know this. Read it, study it, go over it deeply. We can’t copy what we don’t know and our children can’t copy what we don’t model to them.

We all need grace, forgiveness, mercy, compassion and much much more. We all should be extending them as well. Hopefully the frequency of needing those things gets less and less over time as we grow.

When that lost sheep gets turned back, that reminds me of the prodigal son. That is a great story to study too. What happens there? There is great rejoicing! Jealousy and anger of that rejoicing should never come off our lips or be in our behavior. Repentance is beautiful and we should be thrilled when that happens. Not one of us deserves salvation so we should never feel like another doesn’t deserve it or start speculating their sincerity. By our fruits we are known. Yah wants to see as many as possible turn to Him. How glorious it is when that happens!

Yah never throws out reminders of what we did wrong before, even when we do it yet again. He doesn’t hold things over our heads. He isn’t mean because we have hurt Him with our decisions. Consequences sometimes can be big but He isn’t waiting with a stick to let us have it either. This is how we should be interacting with our loved ones especially.

So in the midst of life’s craziness and poor choices remember that one sheep and our Great Shepherd!

That sheep could be any one of us. Wouldn’t we like to be rejoiced over when we find our way back when we are lost however little or far off track we wandered?

Remember this when dealing with our loved ones. Remember this when dealing with strangers. Remember this when someone hurts us. Remember this when we feel terrible after we did or said something undesirable.

That ONE sheep

Until next time

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