You Already Imitate Christ

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Holy Week is a time to commemorate and marvel at the power of Christ’s unconditional and self-giving love for all people – His immense, unequivocal, and eternal love for you. 

Christ’s love is uniform and widespread; all people are included. Now, He commands you to do the same: Love your neighbor as yourself, do good to those who hate you, forgive those who hurt you, and pray for those who mistreat you (see Luke 6). While the task to follow Him may be daunting, here are a few examples of how you already do it:

When you’re up in the middle of the night holding a crying child when you need to sleep, you follow Christ:

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).  

When you hold your tongue instead of lashing out when someone criticizes or mocks you, you imitate Christ:

“And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer” (Matthew 27:12).

When you help someone without judging whether they’re worthy, you imitate Christ:

“If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet” (John 13:14).

When you forgive someone, you imitate Christ:

“He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 7:48).

When you befriend the ostracized, love the addict, visit the prisoner, or feed the homeless, you follow Christ: 

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Also, the events of Good Friday assure us that Christ will always forgive us. We’re to do the same:  

“The other (criminal), however, rebuking him, said in reply, ‘Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:40-43).

Christ commands us to love everyone. He’s shown us how to give of ourselves, especially to those we find most difficult to love. You’ve probably already done so, as in the examples above. Ask Him for the grace to continue. Then, pay attention to the sense of peace He gives you when you do these things. His peace and His joy are how He’ll reward you. 

 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete”

(John 15:11).

May you take time this Holy Week to grasp Christ’s eternal love for you, and may this love inspire you to imitate Him more each day.

“How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” 

– Psalm 116:12

“Lord, I want to love as You do.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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Pray for peace in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and 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.

Time to Make a Change

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“Life is short, and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those around us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind…” – From a funeral at Church of Our Savior Episcopal in Akron, Ohio

Mourners filled the pews for Beth’s funeral on Monday afternoon, plus the 30 of us who sang in the choir for her service. It was a blessing to be part of it: her 57 short years on earth had been filled with music, laughter, and love.

If there’s anything that gives us a wake-up call about how we’re spending our time, it’s a funeral. We’re reminded of how quickly the years pass, and it encourages us to examine what we’re doing with the time we have here on earth. 

Holy Week begins on Sunday. It might be a good idea to use these last days before Easter to examine how we’re spending our time, and make changes where necessary. 

We can ask ourselves: 

How do I share God’s love with those around me on a daily basis? 

How, and how often, do I let the people who are important to me know that I love them?

Have I given our Lord time and opportunities through prayer to reach into my heart and make me more patient, compassionate, and generous? 

What concrete steps have I taken during this Lenten season to improve my relationship with God and with the people I care about? What reminders can I give myself to continue these practices after Easter?

In addition to my responsibilities for myself and my family, when was the last time I gave of myself to benefit someone who can’t return the favor or pay me back?

If one of these questions struck a chord with you, remember: it’s never too late to make a change.

Maybe our Lord is asking us to change how we approach the people around us. If we’re habitually impatient, apathetic, or stingy toward others, then now’s the time to ask our Lord to soften our heart and mold it to be more like His. 

Maybe we would benefit from treating ourselves with more kindness. If we think of ourselves as being loving, forgiving, and kind, we’ll eventually convince ourselves of it and live up to our own expectations. And when we’re more loving toward ourselves, we’ll be more compassionate toward others. 

Change takes time. If we don’t use our time to make those changes, and if we always do what we’ve always done, then nothing will change – neither in our hearts, in our relationships, or in our community. Our relationship with God and with others will stagnate.

There’s still time. Take steps toward bringing God’s Kingdom of Love to the people around you. Not just because Easter is coming, but because you still have life to live.

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

“Lord, help me change my heart and make it more like Yours.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 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 in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and 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.

Run Your Race Freely

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In my dream, I took my position with the others at the starting line of the 5K. Oddly enough, a drab gray bed comforter was draped over me. When the gun went off I tried to run, but the heavy blanket got in my way. I took it off and held it up high so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. I tried to run again but couldn’t. I hurled the blanket to the side. Someone grabbed my arm; I shook that off, too. Then I could run freely.

In the morning, I understood that the comforter and person grabbing me represented an emotional burden I used to carry; I had put it behind me long ago but something reminded me of it. As I ‘run’ through life, I don’t want it to drag me down any more.

Maybe you’re burdened by something that’s getting in the way of your own ‘race’ – your day-to-day living, your peace of mind, and the joy you so desperately want to feel. 

Is a grudge weighing you down? Or, maybe you need to forgive yourself? Lent is a good time to let Christ take these from you.

They say that forgiving isn’t a one-and-done deal; it’s a process. It takes time. It takes awareness, courage, and prayer. It isn’t easy. Also, It isn’t about forgetting what happened. Rather, it’s choosing to no longer let the actions of someone else control your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. 

Forgiving is something you do for yourself.

Set yourself free from the person who hurt you. Whether it happened yesterday or many yesterdays ago, begin the process of forgiving. Talk with Christ about it; He hears you! Acknowledge your experience. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen, but don’t keep hanging onto it, either. Picture Christ’s outstretched arms as you peel off layers of pain and put them in His hands. Believe in His unconditional love for you and the joy He wants you to experience. Try saying out loud, “I forgive ______.”

Remember that you can control only your own actions, not anyone else’s. Others will have to answer to God for what they’ve done, so let Him be their judge. Free yourself from that role. Focus instead on how well you’re loving others. Also, try to see your offender through Christ’s eyes. Try to see how their own suffering may have caused them to do what they did. Pray for them.

You might also seek professional help or confide in a trusted friend. Be your own advocate. Take the steps necessary to rid yourself of the burden that’s holding you back from ‘running your race’ freely and becoming your loving and happy self.

Don’t let yesterday rob you of the joyful freedom Christ wants you to experience today. Let Him transform your pain into peace. 

“Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper.” – Psalm 30:10

“Lord, take this burden from me. I want Your peace. I want to feel happy again!”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 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 in Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, and 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.