The Smiling Rainbow

Photo credit: Elizabeth Marino

We stood together on an overlook in the Bedford Reservation last Saturday morning, the clear blue skies and bright sunshine adding a gorgeous backdrop to the scenery. I was holding my 4-year-old granddaughter when she leaned back, looked straight up at the sky, and shouted, “A rainbow!” We all looked up and saw a small patch of color in the distinctive ROYGBV pattern. We all started shouting, “A rainbow! Without rain!” “Look, it’s getting bigger!” “Look! It’s upside down! It looks like a smile!” “Look, there’s another straight one coming off of it!” “Now it’s a double rainbow!” “IT’S NOT RAINING! How is there a rainbow without rain??” My daughters whipped out their phones to take pictures, as did my son-in-law even while he held the baby. Over the next several minutes we watched the rainbow grow bigger and brighter as the picture-taking and exclamations of wonder continued. We then noticed a few hikers approaching the overlook; when we called out to them, “Look! There’s a rainbow!” they just stared at us as if they were trying to figure out the punch line to our joke. Then they looked up and saw this smiling bow for themselves.

Later that day, we saw four woodpeckers flying together and landing on trees near each other in the woods. This also was a treat, as we couldn’t remember ever seeing that many woodpeckers in the same place.

It was difficult to write off these unusual occurrences as mere flukes of nature. Instead, we thanked God for sending us these gifts from heaven, for finding yet another way to let us know that He’s with us, right here and right now.

We never know when our Lord will make His presence known to us, do we? When we hear any reference to our Lord’s coming we assume it’s talking about the end of the world. Maybe sometimes that’s the case, but that’s not the only meaning behind the phrase. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven.’ We pray for His kingdom to be brought to earth now, don’t we? And if we ask for it, why wouldn’t it happen? Why wouldn’t He find ways to come to us now? 

And when we encounter Him in these mysterious ways, how do we respond?

He might show Himself to us as a confused teenager. When we patiently listen to her, we bring His kingdom to earth.

He might come to us as an aloof coworker, who could be dealing with a difficult situation we know nothing about. When we’re friendly to him, we bring His kingdom to earth.

And, of course, He just might show Himself to us through His wonders of nature – including a smiling rainbow – to remind us that He’s with us, here and now. 

“Keep watch, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” – Matthew 24:42

“Lord, help me keep my eyes open for Your presence here with me.”

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

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Pray for peace around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo credit: Free-images.com

Whether you’re at home, traveling, or working this Thanksgiving Day, I hope you experience many moments that put a smile in your heart. As you celebrate the holiday, may you feel contentment and gratitude for all of God’s creation and those priceless gifts we call family and friends. If you’re grieving or struggling, if ‘celebrate’ is the last thing you feel like doing, may you sense our Lord speaking His love to irreplaceable you through people who wrap you in their love and appreciation today and in the days ahead. 

This Thanksgiving Day, may you notice many things to be grateful for:

Thankful that you can stay in the comfort of your own home, or thankful for the time and means to travel.

Thankful for work to do, and thankful for the people who will benefit from your work.

Thankful for good health, or thankful for those who care for you while you recuperate.

Thankful for struggles that have brought out an inner strength you didn’t know you had, and thankful for the individuals who helped you get through those trying times.

Thankful for all the people our Lord has blessed you with.

Above all, thankful for God’s unconditional and ever-present love. God is Love; whether you’re aware of it or not, this Love is always with you to guide you, strengthen you, give you hope, and bring you joy.

May you have a spirit of gratitude that is deeper and richer than a mental ‘attitude of gratitude.’

I’m thankful for all of you who read my reflections, pass them on to others, or give me feedback on what I’ve written. God gets all the credit: I thank Him for giving me the ideas and the words to write. If something I’ve written touches your heart, it makes me happy to know that I’ve conveyed the message clearly.

May this special day of giving thanks remind us all of God’s goodness and fill us with joy. Happy Thanksgiving!

“In all circumstances, give thanks…”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Thank You, Lord, for the countless blessings You have given to me.”

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.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Let Christ Join You This Thanksgiving

Photo credit: Free-images.com

I thought I had another week! Somehow that ‘one week between now and Thanksgiving’ is upon us! So, the preparations have begun; for you, too, I presume. If you’re hosting dinner, you’re probably going to spend the next several days cleaning, shopping, decorating, baking, and figuring out how everyone will fit around the dinner table. 

Maybe you feel both excited and anxious when you think about how many people will be gathered. Maybe you also feel a bit tense about one person in particular who tends to be difficult.

Try this: In addition to planning for the usual guests, make room for Christ at your table, too, figuratively speaking. Make room for Christ in your heart, literally speaking. How?

Imagine our Lord saying to you:

I know you mean well. I know the gratitude that’s in your heart for all I have given you. I see that. I see how you want the day to be relaxing and happy, with everyone sharing a day of love together. You want them to know how much you love them, and how much I love them.

Put away your expectations of how the day should go and invite Me in to be present with you. Picture Me standing next to you, and listen to what I whisper in your ear. The loving and insightful thoughts that come to you come from Me. Let Me guide you and your day will contain more love and peace for you than it has in the past. 

I know you’re dreading part of the holiday. I know you have difficulty with that one person. Guess what? She’s having a rough time. It has nothing to do with you. Let Me handle the situation. You were created in Love, in My image, and so was she.

Let My love speak to your heart. Let My love flow from your lips and bring peace to your difficult relationship. This isn’t magic, and years of estrangement won’t evaporate in a day. But I promise you, if you listen to Me and offer My loving words, the tension between you will be lessened. I can’t promise that the other will respond in kind to your attempts. I gave each of you free will. But I do promise that if you offer words of love to the other, you will find more peace in your heart than if you continued as you always have: with fear and dread.

I created both of you in My image. Take a different path – try a different tactic from the usual – and experience My peace.

You are good. So is she.

Invite me in and let me show these truths to you.

“...the image of His own nature He made us.” – Wisdom 2:23

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” – Psalm 34:18

“Lord, I invite You to join us when we celebrate Thanksgiving.”

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.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Much to Share

Photo credit: Free-images.com

Remember when the large Lays potato chip bag had  “Get your own bag” written on it? None of us really bought into the idea that that was a single-serving size! The one-ounce bags are for individuals. The much larger bags have enough chips to feed a crowd; despite the marketing efforts, we know that they’re intended to be shared. 

The same is true of our spiritual gifts: they’re meant to be shared. We may not think of our interests, strengths, and talents as spiritual gifts, but they are. They’re the skills God has given us that allow us to do the things we love to do, as well as the things we have to do. 

Some gifts we use for our hobbies. We thank God for the talents that let us engage in activities we enjoy that feed our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. We also look for ways to share these talents with others to bring joy to them and benefit our community. 

Some gifts we use at our place of work. We thank God for the skills that let us support ourselves or our families. The Spirit led us to that job based on the strengths He gave us that are suited for that particular line of work. Our work is also where we give dignity to others. In everyone we encounter, we’re given the opportunity to bring out the best in them by letting them know that they and the work they do are important.

Also, we find ways to apply the skills we use at work to serve others or to build up our community in any of a number of ways.

Let’s thank our Lord for the abundance of talents we’ve been given and see them as spiritual gifts. Let’s find ways to share them to bring joy to others – not only with our own family, but also with our community.

“To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” 

– 1 Corinthians 12:7

“Lord, let me see my talents as gifts from You to be enjoyed and shared with others.”

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.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

See the Blessings

Photo credit: Free-images.com

Our troubles are real: Flat tires, sick kids, broken appliances, and illness, just to name a few. Even technology, which theoretically makes our lives easier, often causes us stress. Sometimes, our problems seem to pile up until we feel buried in an avalanche of headaches.

How do we respond?

One way is to gripe about our situation to all who will listen. We carry a chip of anger and resentment on our shoulder and we’ll spew our problems onto anyone and everyone we encounter. (I’ve said this before, and it’s worth repeating: This is different from the importance of seeking a trusted friend or a licensed therapist who can listen to our struggles, help us find healthy ways to release our stress, and guide us toward a possible solution.)

Another option is to think back to other challenges we’ve faced in the past and recognize how we managed to get through them. Then, we stop the chaos in our minds, take a deep breath, and ask our Lord to help us carry these new burdens.

Imagine Him saying to you now:

Think back to that one major struggle you had. Think back to how you begged Me to resolve it in a particular way. Over time, you did get My answer to your prayer, even though maybe it wasn’t the answer you had expected. I was with you in all of it.

Think back to other difficulties you’ve had and how you found relief from unlikely sources: An acquaintance knew of a medical team that specialized in your particular illness. A stranger stopped to help you change your tire. A friend called out of the blue to relieve you of your stress for a while. People stepped in to help just when you needed it. You got an idea of how to resolve the computer issue. You found a YouTube video that showed you how to repair the broken appliance instead of buying a new one.  

All of these were My blessings. Maybe you didn’t get the miracle you wanted. Instead, the miracle may be the peace you’ve found even in the midst of the struggle. You asked Me for help, and I gave you My peace.

Trust Me. Trust My wisdom: I ordered the seasons, didn’t I? The seasons change, bringing relief from the burdens of the previous season’s weather. You are precious to Me. I’ve brought relief to you during other trying times; I’ll help you through this one, too.

“Thank You, Lord, for helping me to see Your presence in the midst of my difficulties.”

“The Lord has done marvels for us.” – Psalm 126:3

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.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.