Dare to Look Deeper

 

“Make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” –Ezekiel 18:31

I haven’t had much luck with house plants in the past but right now, to my surprise and delight, I have half a dozen plants that seem to be thriving. One of them is commonly called a ‘prayer plant’ because its leaves reach up toward the heavens when the sun goes down, and then set back down again at sunrise. It’s quite large, bushy, and beautiful.

Last week while I was watering it, I looked deep into the center of the plant, where all the stems come up together out of the soil. I was surprised to see many dead leaves in there! I realized I had paid attention to the outer leaves but failed to routinely inspect and water the center and interior of the plant. So, I cut away those dead leaves and stems, and this time watered the whole plant.

That got me thinking about my spiritual life. I invite you to ask yourself the same kinds of questions that I asked myself: Do I tend to pay attention only to the ‘outer part’ of my spiritual life, even during Lent – for example, how and when I pray, fast, and give alms – or do I also dare to look deep down inside of me to examine if my attitudes, actions, and motives are rooted in love? When I pray, do I let our Lord transform my heart and make me more like Him in what I think, say, and do? Have I been ‘fertilizing’ the faith He gave me at my baptism by reading and meditating on His words, seeking Him and serving Him in the people around me, and caring for the Earth He created? Have I been receptive, like good soil, to what He wants to do through me? Have I been ‘watering’ my relationships with the people closest to me? Is there a destructive habit or other ‘dead branch’ in my life that needs to be pruned away? 

Let’s dare to look deep into our hearts and let our Lord transform us into His likeness, as He created us to be.

“Lord, penetrate the depths of my heart. Make me more like You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

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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/...

Strengthen Your Relationships This Lent

“Even now, says the Lord, return to Me with your whole heart.” –Joel 2:12

Lent begins today, Ash Wednesday. The next 40 days give us the opportunity to intentionally and deliberately fan into flame the gift of faith God has given us. The discipline of Lent – including prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – is designed to strengthen our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. It’s an opportunity to get closer to God, let Him use us to bless others, and make us more and more into the people He created us to be.

Through prayer, we open our minds and hearts to what God wants to say to us; in this way our faith is strengthened. Through fasting, we remove whatever it is that distracts us from loving ourselves and the people around us. Through almsgiving, we detach ourselves from our material goods and see Christ in all people. 

Choose one thing to do this Lent to strengthen your relationships; it doesn’t have to be heroic or super-difficult. Here are a few ideas: 

  Take a few moments to thank God for another day. Write down what you’re grateful for.   

Spend just 15 minutes each day reading and reflecting on a passage in the gospels. Read slowly and notice which words strike a chord with you. Then sit quietly, think about those particular words, and pay attention to the thoughts that come to mind. Those thoughts are Jesus speaking to you.

** I highly recommend watching the series “The Chosen,” which tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of those who followed Him. I was moved way beyond my expectations and found it incredibly powerful to see how the producers brought the people and the stories to life in ways that no other ‘Jesus movie’ has ever done. It’s free: just google The Chosen and click on ‘Watch.’ You can also download the app. I recommend you begin with Season 1, Episode 1. Some episodes are 20 minutes, others are an hour or more. **

Fast from something that prevents you from being present. Check your phone less frequently; give up Netflix or social media. 

Fast from gossiping, or criticizing, or judging the people down the street who live differently from how you live.

Giving alms doesn’t have to mean giving money. The point is to give something away to bless others. Give your heart: Say something sincere and kind to a different person every day. Give your time: Contact a soup kitchen or homeless shelter and ask if you can contribute to their meals. Maybe each week you could give to a different organization. 

Let’s use Lent to intentionally strengthen our faith and our relationships.

“Lord, thank You for these 40 days to draw closer to You and each other.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

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/...

God Needs Us to Work His Miracles

 

“And He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd.”

 – Luke 9:16

The miracles of God’s marvelous creation are on full display in the western sky this month. According to NASA’s website, Jupiter and Venus are visible now, and Mars will be visible February 27! 

You’re probably familiar with the above story of Jesus feeding the multitudes. Notice, though, that He didn’t immediately take away their hunger. He needed the cooperation of the people around Him in order to perform the miracle: The apostles approached Him with the dilemma; they trusted that He could remedy the situation; the boy generously offered his bread and fish; and the apostles followed Jesus’ instructions to distribute the food.

How did his followers so confidently trust Him? They had spent time with Him, listening to Him. Jesus’ teachings were so different from those that had been passed down through the generations. His teachings weren’t about following rules; they were about loving people – all people! They believed that He wanted only what was good – what was of Love – for them.  

What miracle are you hungry for? Affirmation? Direction? A sense of purpose? Healing? Turn to the One Who created you. He Who made the planets and fed the multitudes can work miracles in your life, too, if you have faith and trust in Him. 

Remember, God doesn’t simply remove our difficulties; He needs our participation. Talk to Him about your situation – that’s prayer. Believe that He wants only what’s good for you. Offer Him what you have: your skills, your resources, your time, your creativity. Let His grace act in you to soften your heart and open your mind. Pay attention to the thoughts God puts in your mind: If they’re rooted in love and if they give you even a mild sense of peace, you know those thoughts are from Him. If they fill you with anger or restlessness, those are not from God but from the evil forces of the world trying to distract you. 

God lives in us and uses us and our circumstances to work miracles and feed our souls. He lets us experience His love in the words and actions we share with each other. He expands our hearts in awe of His creation. He teaches us the magnitude of His love through His words in Scripture. He needs us to cooperate with Him in creating our children! He helps us understand the simplicity of His loving message when we hold a sleeping baby or laugh with a giggling toddler. 

He needs each one of us to share His love and peace with the world.  As Mother Teresa said, ‘We are His hands and His feet.’ 

God needs you. What a miracle that is!

“Lord, I believe You need me. Help me trust in You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

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/...

Be Like Michael Jordan: Teachable

“Blessed are they who seek Him with all their heart.” – Psalm 119:2

NBA great Michael Jordan said, “My best skill was that I was coachable. I was a sponge and aggressive to learn.” In a word, he was teachable. 

People who are teachable don’t presume to have all the answers. They’re open to learning more, even when they’re already successful. 

Matthew the tax collector was teachable. Matthew was good at his job and was financially successful. He was despised by his family, though, for working for the Romans. When Matthew heard Jesus speak about God’s peace, he paid attention. By opening his mind to Jesus’ message, he made room in his heart for the peace he was seeking, both in his heart and in the relationships damaged by his occupation. He subsequently stopped collecting taxes, followed Jesus, and let our Lord use him to write down His life story and His words – in what we call the Gospel of Matthew. 

Are you teachable? Maybe you’ve been hearing Matthew’s and the other gospels since your childhood. You’ve got a pretty decent understanding of what Jesus taught. Consider, though, that life is always changing; your circumstances and challenges today aren’t the same as they were before. Ask Him to help you understand how His teachings relate to your life now. 

Seek Him with all your heart – read or listen to the scriptures with an open mind to understand His words in a new light and on a deeper level, one that brings you closer to Him. No matter what we already know or how successful we’ve been in our work or personal lives, God wants us to understand and experience more of His love and peace. If there’s turmoil in your life, ask Him for guidance and then pay attention to the thoughts that come to mind regarding that issue. Maybe there’s a different way you can handle the situation; an idea you hadn’t thought of before might come to you. If you get a sense of peace when considering that option, that’s a clue the Spirit is guiding you.

Open your heart to receive God’s message in a new way. Learn from Him and let Him bring you closer to Him. Be teachable as Michael Jordan and Matthew were in their respective fields, even in times of success.

“Lord, I know You want me to be closer to You. Let me understand You and Your words on a deeper level.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

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/...

Keep It Simple

“Thus says the Lord… Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked, and do not turn your back on your own.” –Isaiah 58:7

Happy February! Do the holidays we celebrated just weeks ago feel far away? How are you doing with your New Year’s resolution? Are you trying to cultivate a virtue, as I suggested in my January 4 reflection? The experts advise us to pick just one goal, or one virtue, to work on, and keep it simple. 

My late dear mother-in-law used to say, “Life is simple. We make it complicated.” So true! Watching TV used to be simple. We sat together in the living room to watch a program on one of three channels available. Now, thanks to the internet, we have thousands of programs to choose from, on many different devices. We might want to examine whether we’re still using technology to bring people together, or if it’s gotten complicated and we’re using it to avoid interacting with others. 

Our spiritual life can be simple, too. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to remind us that He doesn’t want us to make grandiose sacrifices like fasting if we treat our neighbors poorly. He asks us to simply act with love:

 share what we have with those in need, and take care of those entrusted to us. 

As counterintuitive as it may seem, this kind of sacrifice for others will bring us joy. God created us this way. It might not be easy, but it is simple.

Also, those ‘others’ aren’t as different from us as we might imagine. Think of the times when you’ve been on the receiving end of someone’s generosity. Maybe a teacher or coach gave you attention and made you feel important when your parents wouldn’t or couldn’t. Maybe you were just starting out and a coworker invited you to join her family for dinner. You probably didn’t think of that as a hand-out! In those cases and countless others, someone had to give away something they had so that you could benefit. We can do the same.

What does the last part of this verse mean, ‘do not turn your back on your own’? Mother Teresa has an answer: “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Maybe we can work patiently with the child who needs extra help with her homework. We could sit down over burgers and fries with the teen who’s looking for attention and acceptance, and listen to what he has to say. We could offer insight to the young adult who asks how she can contribute to society, and encourage the adults burdened with their own jobs and families.

Giving to others might not be easy, but it is simple. Let’s try to keep it that way.

“Lord, help me remember that giving doesn’t have to be complicated.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

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/...