Putting Ourselves in the Right Place

 

 

“On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.”

–Acts 16:13-14

 Paul and Silas kept their eyes, minds, and hearts open to where God wanted them to go, and this mindfulness had a ripple effect: First they searched for a peaceful place where they could pray. There, they met a group of women and shared with them the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Then the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to Paul’s message, and she proceeded to offer her home to be used as a kind of ‘home base’ where the disciples could gather and encourage each other in their ministry (see Acts 16:40). In a sense, Lydia’s home became the first church. All this happened because the disciples followed where the Lord was leading them.

We can follow Paul and Silas’ example and put ourselves where we believe God wants us. For example, we may notice when a coworker appears stressed, and look for an opportunity to offer a listening ear or a word of encouragement to her. We may walk away from conversations that are toxic. We may take steps during our lunch hour to open our hearts and minds to God by doing some spiritual reading; going outside or even gazing out a window and thanking God for His beautiful creation; or spending a few minutes in a quiet church.

Another way we put ourselves in a place for the Lord to work through us is when we stand up for what is right. This may be done in any of a number of ways, such as voting and supporting those who work for peace and justice.

Sometimes we encounter roadblocks, and we discover that He’s leading us in another direction. Sometimes the opposite happens: doors unexpectedly open for us and we’re given opportunities we never knew existed.

As long as we follow the Lord’s lead and go where we believe He wants us to go, we can be confident He’ll use us to accomplish His work.

“Guide our steps, Lord, to put ourselves where You want us to be.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 

 

A True Story

 

 Sometimes God uses everyday objects to get our attention.  This was one of those times:

For weeks the dark clouds had followed me. You may know the feeling: You have much that you feel grateful for and you also feel yourself being dragged down, emotionally and spiritually. During this time, I seemed to spend a lot of energy trying to pick myself up. I repeatedly asked God to pull me out of this long-lasting slump, and then figured He wanted me to learn something about faith and perseverance. So, I kept praying, hoping He heard me.

Last Monday I was out for my usual walk around the neighborhood with thoughts and prayers swirling in my head. I thanked God for each member of our wonderful family and asked Him to continue to bless them. Then, as I crossed the street, I spotted a lone puzzle piece on the pavement – a single, plain white puzzle piece. “That’s odd,” I thought. “How did that get here? That’s so weird.” I didn’t pick it up because I thought maybe it had fallen out of its box, as strange as that seemed. I looked down at it and said to myself, “Someone’s looking for this missing piece.” Then Shel Silverstein’s book The Missing Piece came to mind and those words, the missing piece, looking for my missing piece, got stuck in my head like an earworm.

That night I woke up in the middle of the night. I eventually made myself stop tossing and turning. Then, in my mind, I handed over to God all the debris in there that was making me restless and contributing to those dark clouds. After a while my mind cleared, my body relaxed, and I slept soundly the rest of the night.

In the morning I tore off the page of my daily calendar, and this is what I saw:

 

“Thank You, Lord. Thank You for reassuring us that You’re with us, You hear us, and You love us. Thank You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 

He Wants YOU on His Team

 

 

“(Jesus said:) ‘It is not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give you.’”

--John 15:16

 Christ wants us to be clear on this. It makes a difference:  When you choose something -- for example, to sign up for a class or support a particular cause – you may not know if you’ll fit in or if you’re needed. The person in charge might not know anything about you except your name, if that.

But Christ has chosen you. He wants you on His team. He knows everything about you. He loves you. You are valuable and necessary in His mission! Teresa of Avila explains why:

‘Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world.

Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.

Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands.

Yours are the feet.

Yours are the eyes.

You are His body.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’

 God needs you to get His message out to the world! Think of the circumstances surrounding where you live, the work you do, and the people you interact with both professionally and socially. God has chosen you to show His love in those places, with those people, using the gifts and talents He’s given you. That’s why He created you with those particular skills!

When we accept Christ’s appointment and root our actions and intentions in Him, we’ll bring Him closer to the people around us. True, we’ll make mistakes. He knows this, and still He chooses us to be on His team. He helps us use these experiences to grow in our faith and trust in Him so that we may do the works that He does and even greater ones than these (see John 14:12).

God has chosen you for a reason: There’s no one else in the world like you to do the work He needs you to do!

“Thank You, Lord, for choosing me! Show me how and where I can bring You to the people around me.”

 

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 

A Peace Meal

 

“Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you just caught… Come, have breakfast.’”

–John 21:10, 12

 

The last time the apostles ate with Jesus was at The Last Supper, right before all of them (except John) ran away when Jesus was arrested and then crucified.  Now, they come ashore and see Him cooking breakfast on the beach (see John 21:9). He asks them to contribute some of what they have to the meal, and He invites them to join Him in it. What’s His message here?

Jesus wants to offer the apostles more than food; He wants to feed their souls as well as their bodies. When He holds out His hand to accept their fish, it’s a gesture of peace. They abandoned Him that Holy Thursday night, and now He comes into their presence and cooks breakfast for them. Through this humble act, He reassures them that He’s not holding a grudge. Also, by asking them to add what they have to what He already has prepared, He lets them see themselves as His partners. He invites them to leave behind the pain of the past and move forward: He has forgiven them. He still considers them His friends. He still loves them. He still has big plans for them.

Jesus does the same for you. He offers you His food for your soul: His friendship, His peace, His forgiveness, His love. Accept the peace He wants to give you. Thank Him for His blessings. Look for evidence of His love in the people and places all around you. He wants you to experience His love, and He invites you to share in His work of showing that love to the world. He’s present to you whenever you come to Him, no matter where you come from or what you’ve done in the past. Tell Him what’s been troubling you and let Him put His reassuring words in your head and heart. He wants you to see yourself as His partner and friend. He loves you; He has big plans for you.

Jesus will accept our contributions, our gifts, talents, and all we have to offer to partner with Him in His work. Let’s imitate His benevolent and peacemaking gestures. Kind of like a charcoal grill that transforms dead, smelly fish into something nourishing and delicious, so can Christ’s presence, friendship, love, and peace – made available to us through His cross and resurrection -- transform our humble acts of kindness and charity into grace-filled, love-filled actions that can change the world.

“Lord, thank You for calling me Your friend. I want to partner with You to bring Your love and peace to the world.”

 

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...