Remember 9/11 and Change

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It’s hard to believe that, before 9/11, there was little security at the airport. Anyone could enter the terminal. No one had to show an ID. Families and friends hung around at the gate to hug loved ones coming or going. Parents took their small children inside the airport just to watch the planes take off and land, even if no one they knew was traveling. 

So much changed in an instant. As we remember the tragic events of 9/11, let’s keep in mind that life is fleeting and changing. Anything that isn’t changing is stagnant; that includes us. 

Our goal is to become our best, most loving selves, and inspire others to do the same. We do this by learning and growing in our care and concern for our fellow human beings and our planet. Look back and see how much you’ve changed over the years. If you knew then what you know now, what would you have done differently? But at the time, you didn’t know the changes that would happen, and you couldn’t see the world from the future’s point of view. Now that you’re older, do you still expect things to stay the same? Or do you see that everything must change in order to mature? Do you realize that all of us must change in order to grow into the loving people God created us to be?

Look at today: What do you wish were different? Now, look ahead: What’s one change, big or small, that you can make that will move you closer toward reaching that goal? 

One answer might be simply to live more fully in the present while looking with hope toward the future. Look ahead to what kind of person you want to become and what kind of world you want to live in, and start today to create those by building on what you have now. Believe you can make changes with God’s guiding hand. Believe you can have a positive influence on your corner of the world. ‘Seize the day’ and challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone. Push yourself to be kinder and to do the more other-centered, peace-making, or planet-friendly thing. As much as possible, do everything from the perspective of, What can I do differently today to make a more loving impact on the people around me? How can I give them hope for tomorrow? Also, What changes can I make to more closely follow the Three R’s of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in order to better care for this magnificent planet our Lord has given to us? 

Let’s learn again from 9/11: Life is fleeting and changing. Let’s strive to learn, grow, and change in positive ways, so that we can look back and see that our days were well-lived and well-loved. 

For the world in its present form is passing away.” – 1 Corinthians 7:31

“Lord, help me become the person You created me to be.”    

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, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

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P.S.

Pray for peace at home, 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.

Random Thoughts on Sowing Seeds

Photo credit: Free-images.com

It’s been said that our job as people of love is to sow seeds of hope, faith, love, and peace all around us, and then trust God to make those plants grow. Whether it’s to strengthen our relationship with Him or to show Him to others, every effort we make gives God material to work with. We try to stay mindful of His powerful presence in us and in our world; we do our part and then trust Him to make growth happen.

Here are sayings I’ve collected over the years. Some are my own thoughts, some are others’ quotes. They’re all random thoughts on how we can work with God to foster this growth:

*“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu

*‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ means you have to love yourself first. Accept yourself as a work in progress. Be good to yourself and take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

*“The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” – John Milton

*Pray your prayers, don’t just say them.

*Stay in the moment with gratitude.

*Swallowing your pride sometimes means keeping nasty comments inside your mouth.

*Sometimes the best way to overcome difficulty with someone is to act kindly toward them. Look for something to compliment them on. Look harder. Go out of your way to be friendly to them, say something nice, do them a favor. Be the ‘good guy’ and they won’t have reason to treat you poorly. They still might treat you poorly, but at least it won’t be because you gave them reason to.

*Butterflies and springtime are God’s way of teaching us about heaven and life after death.

*“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” – Author unknown.

*Create happy memories today to remember tomorrow.

*Saying a prayer while waiting for the light to turn green takes your mind off the waiting.

*Just as a lake is filled with unseen living creatures, so are we filled with untapped potential. And just as a lake also contains hidden debris of fallen trees, dead fish, and trash, so do we have parts of us that aren’t life-giving and need to be cleared away.

*Prayer opens our heart and mind to the presence of God.

*Turn your back on the devil and turn your face to the Lord.

*Believe in yourself. God has given you a package of gifts, talents, and strengths. Look for these, and find ways to use them to shower love on your corner of the world.

May we sow the seeds wherever we are, however we can, and trust God to work with what we’ve given Him to make those seeds bloom and bring us and the world closer to Him.

“God causes the growth… we are God’s co-workers.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6,9

“Lord, use the seeds I plant.”

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, 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 at home, 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.