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We were walking around the neighborhood with our son under sunny blue skies that gorgeous June day when I looked around and said, “Oh, what a beautiful day!” Michael didn’t miss a beat and replied, “Yeah, and the weather’s nice, too!”
On sunny days, literally and figuratively, our blessings are easy to find. It’s easy to praise God when things are going the way we want them to go. It’s easy to feel grateful when the sun is shining. The challenge, of course, is to thank God and praise Him in all circumstances and for all circumstances. How do we manage to do this?
Let’s look at the feast of Pentecost, which we celebrated this past Sunday, for some insight. On Pentecost, not only do we commemorate the day when the risen Christ sent the Holy Spirit to empower His disciples, but we also remember that He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us, too, when we were baptized. We were given this power to help us become more like Christ and bring His kingdom to earth. The Spirit is within us to fill us with gratitude, guide us in making difficult decisions, strengthen us against worldly temptations, help us grow in charity, and otherwise lead us closer to Him. For as long as we live He’ll give us more of His power whenever we ask Him to.
So, when we thank and praise God, in easy and challenging times, we take the focus off ourselves and remind ourselves of His infinite goodness. We open our hearts to receive more of His loving power. We move closer to Him. Then, we’re able to see more clearly how He wants us to use His power to grow in charity and bring about His kingdom.
When He empowers us, we grow in holiness. Through the Spirit, we all have the potential to be holy, which goes far beyond simply being good people. With His power within us, we’re able to give more than we thought we could and bear what seemed to be unbearable. We’re able to do the impossible, as Christ did:
“...whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and they will do even greater things than these...” – John 14:12
When we use His power, we’ll experience what we most long for: His peace and joy. And the more we exercise His power, the more powerful the Spirit becomes in us. Charity – holy love – becomes a habit, a part of who we are. We mature in holiness and become more like Christ.
We change our world. And it all starts with thanking and praising Him.
So, praise and thank God in every circumstance. Open your heart, and ask Him for more of His Spirit to empower you so that you can do the impossible, as Christ did.
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth.” – Psalm 34:2
“Lord, increase in me the power of Your Spirit!”
Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell Comments are always welcome!
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P.S.
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