Happy Thanksgiving!

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Graced moments that put a smile in your heart: That’s my prayer for you this Thanksgiving. Whether you’re spending the holiday at home, traveling, or working, may you experience God’s love and peace in tangible ways. May joy fill your heart as you celebrate and give thanks for God’s abundant blessings. If you’re grieving or struggling, if celebrating 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.

This Thanksgiving, 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.

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 challenges.

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

Above all, thankful for God’s unconditional and ever-present love. 

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

With a spirit of gratitude, we open our hearts to the kind of contentment, peace, and joy that only God can give us. We invite contentment when we realize that everything we have is gifted to us from God. We invite joy when we thank God for the people we love, and let them know we love them. We invite peace when we thank God even for those people we find difficult. Guess what? They probably find us difficult, too. We invite joy when we make an extra effort to be kind to them. And, our spirit of gratitude leads us to experience both peace and joy when we recognize God’s loving hand guiding us and holding us close to Him in every circumstance we find ourselves in.

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 guiding the words I write. If something I’ve written touches your heart, it makes me happy to know that I’ve conveyed the message clearly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“May He grant you joy of heart, and may peace abide among you.”  –Sirach 50:23

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

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 to 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.

God Is Good -- All the Time

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“God is good!” 

“I am blessed!”

Have you ever said that when your prayers were answered how you wanted them to be answered? Those are normal, appropriate responses when we’re feeling grateful, and acknowledging God’s goodness draws us closer to Him.

But isn’t God good all the time? And aren’t we already abundantly blessed? Do we humbly say, “God is good!” even when our prayers seem to go unheard? Do we praise Him for His goodness even when life knocks us down?

That’s a difficult thing to do. And that’s exactly the example Job gave us when Satan destroyed everything and everyone precious to him.

When he had lost everything, Job ‘tore his robe, shaved his head’ – how the ancient people expressed grief – ‘and fell to the ground and worshiped’ (Job 1:20). He felt deep sadness over his massive losses, and still he praised God. Job didn’t blame God, as sometimes we do. Instead, Job acknowledged God’s greatness, and grew closer to Him through his experience. 

God wants us to grow closer to Him, too. How can we make this happen?

Trust Him and His infinite, never-ending goodness when you’re suffering. He will never abandon you. If you ask Him, He’ll give you strength you never thought you had to endure a trial you never thought you’d be able to endure. Ask Him to give you what you need, one step at a time, and watch Him work through your circumstances. Let your experiences strengthen your trust and faith in Him.

I invite you to follow a suggestion a dear friend once gave me: Find a quiet space, spend 10 minutes praising God, and then sit quietly and write down whatever ideas come to mind. No second-guessing or editing; just write whatever comes to mind. Those ideas may be Christ speaking to you. 

Also, listen to what Christ may be saying to you today:

You tend to forget about Me when life is going as you want it to. You tend to take credit for all the goodness in your life. Remember that without Me, you would have none of this. Yet if you had none of this, you would still have Me.

I don’t expect you to rejoice in your sorrows, but remember that I am with you through all of them. Come close to Me and let Me show you, over time, all the good things that will come from these sorrows. Let me use them for your benefit. Let me prove My love to you, not through the richness of your life but through your hardships. 

Even in times of pain and loss I am with you, to love you and strengthen you and bring you to a place of peace.

It’s easy to praise God when life is easy. Let’s praise Him when life gets difficult, too.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!”

– Job 1:21

“Lord, I praise You for Your never-ending goodness .”

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.

Fill Your Heart With Rich Soil

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Much of the ground around our house is clay. If we were to put in a vegetable garden, we would have to bring in a great deal of nutrient-rich soil to ensure we get the best ‘fruits’ from our efforts. We’d also have to put up a tall fence to keep the deer away.  

In our spiritual life, our hearts are the soil. The seed is the word of God, and Christ is the sower. Whether we’re full of ‘hardened clay’ or ‘rich soil’ will affect how readily we’ll accept the seeds Christ wants to plant in our hearts – and, therefore, what kind of effect we’ll have on our world. In other words, how much and what kind of ‘fruit’ we’ll produce.

How can you fill your heart with ‘rich soil’?

Set aside time each day, even a little time, for God. Let Him plant more seeds of His grace and blessings in your heart. He’s not an abstract figure out in cyberspace somewhere. He’s your loving Creator Who’s always with you and Who waits for you to reach out to Him so that you’re able to receive all He has to give you. If you’re not sure where to start, open one of the Gospels. The Bible is not simply a book that was written a long time ago. It’s the living Word of God, and He uses it to speak to you – when you give Him the time to do so. Read slowly until something strikes you; then stop and pay attention to the thoughts that come to you about those words.

Why does this matter?

Spending time with our Lord softens our hearts to receive more of His grace, power, peace, love, and joy. It strengthens us to be and do what He created us for. With Him, we’re more willing and able to reach out to others, especially those who are less fortunate than we are. We become more benevolent and more generous; we give others the benefit of the doubt; we see others from God’s perspective; we feel grateful for the opportunities received and are compassionate toward those who didn’t have those same opportunities; we grow in humility; we use our gifts and talents not only for ourselves or family but also for the benefit of our community. 

It’s important to take precautions, too. A fence is put up to keep deer away from a garden; similarly, take steps to protect your heart from whatever lures you away from Christ. Ask Him to show you what those things are.

Just like tiny seeds grow into bountiful vegetables with the proper soil, our efforts produce much greater ‘fruit’ when done with Christ than if we tried to do it all on our own.

Give Him the time to enrich the soil of your heart. 

“But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

–Matthew 13:8

“Lord, help me produce fruit with You, and for You.”

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.

There's Power in Praise

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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! 

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 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.

Life in Abundance

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Though our consumer society tells us otherwise, material goods may give us fleeting happiness, but the joy they give doesn’t last forever. Everything breaks down, or we get tired of them: cars, appliances, homes, clothes. Like the bicycle that brings happiness to the 10-year-old until he wants a bigger bike, our possessions bring us joy, but that pleasure is short-lived. We’re always searching for the bigger, newer item. 

Our souls are searching, too. They’re searching for Christ – for Peace. God designed us to understand that there’s more to life than accumulating stuff. Deep down, we’re happiest when we live in Christ and allow Him to fill us with His grace, power, and love. We experience lasting joy when we’re detached from our material goods; we feel His peace when what we want aligns with what He wants. As Augustine of Hippo wrote, “You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You.” 

When Christ said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), He wasn’t saying, “If you follow Me then you’ll have material wealth and you’ll be free of hardships.” What He meant was more like, “If you follow Me then you’ll have riches that are greater than material goods. Do everything with Me and for Me, and I’ll give you hope in difficult times and peace through your suffering.” 

What does this abundant life look like? Goodness in our hearts. Joy in simple things. Detachment from worldly goods. The freedom, desire, and willingness to share what we have. A clear conscience. Avoidance of anything that separates us from Christ. A sense of purpose in contributing toward the betterment of society. Feeling that what we’re doing is what God wants us to do. Gratitude for our life; taking care of our body, mind, and soul. Appreciation of nature; taking care of our planet. A welcoming and inclusive heart toward people of all walks of life. The desire to spend time with our Lord – and doing so – to let His grace fill our heart. 

Having abundant life doesn’t mean we won’t have hardships. Christ wasn’t spared His passion and death, yet God used Christ’s suffering for a greater good: to break the power of evil and to prove that evil and even death itself didn’t have the last say. If we imitate Christ and ask God to use our suffering for some greater good, He will do so. We then trust Him to lead us through each difficult situation. His love gives us hope; His strength gives us peace.

Material goods give us fleeting happiness. Seek the lasting joy that comes from having an abundance of spiritual goods. Strive for riches that will never break down. Follow Christ, and let Him fill your soul with His abundant blessings.

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

“Lord, fill my soul with Your riches.”

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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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.

Gratitude Lightens Our Burdens

They say that if we tossed our troubles onto a pile with our neighbors’ problems and then had the opportunity to take whatever we wanted, we would all choose to take back our own struggles over those of our neighbors. Maybe that’s because, while our challenges are burdensome, they are also familiar to us. 

Our sufferings are real, and life seems full of them. Our current problem may be so oppressive that it’s like a hand being held right in front of our eyes, blocking our view of everything else. If we mentally step aside for a moment, though, and move away from that blocked view, we would see that, even with this burden, we still can find much to be grateful for. This gratitude helps us handle our challenges. 

We can be grateful for our magnificent bodies, with the intricate workings of cells, organs, and systems that function without any effort from us! Even when we’re faced with illness or injury, while we’re taking steps to help our body heal or adapt we can still gratefully think, feel, do, and live! 

You are not a mere product of science or chance! Everything about you was deliberately created by God. You have skills and talents. You may not think yours are anything special, but your gifts are not exactly the same as anyone else’s, and your unique personality shapes how you use them. 

Look outside yourself and consider with gratitude your family, friends, and acquaintances. They are gifts for you, and you are gifts for them! Think of all the happy memories you’ve created together, challenges you’ve conquered together, things you’ve learned from each other, and how you’ve made life sweeter for each other just by being yourselves. 

Look with gratitude at your home, your clothes, and your possessions. Look with awe at the natural world around you. From the food that grows to the stars that capture our imagination, God created all of it for us to enjoy, marvel at, and learn from. 

Finally, consider God’s intangible gifts like laughter that eased your pain; strength that got you through a tough challenge; and answers to your prayers, even when you didn’t get the answer you’d hoped for. You’re grateful for all of it because you know that God does everything out of His love for you. Your gratitude reassures you that He will help you with your current challenge, too.

How do we show our appreciation for all God has done for us?  We take care of our bodies the best we can. We care for each other and cherish our time together. We share our time, talents, and possessions. We use the blessings of nature responsibly. 

We consider the wonders of all His gifts and pray from the heart: ‘‘Thanks.” 

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

– Psalm 116:12

“Lord, open my eyes to fully appreciate all that You’ve done for 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.

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/...

Let Peace Find You

 

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  --Romans 1:7

This persistent respiratory infection has slowed me down quite a bit. You’d think that would’ve put me in a tizzy – who has time to be sick in December?? But I don’t have the energy for a tizzy and so, odd as it may seem, this slowdown has been a blessing.

Our Christmas tree still isn’t up but I know we’ll get to it eventually. In the meantime, the other decorations around the house are making me smile. I appreciate online shopping like never before! On the few occasions when I have gone shopping, I’ve had to go at an unhurried pace and in small blocks of time. This isn’t COVID but I keep a safe distance and wear a mask to keep my germs to myself. Instead of thinking of ALL I have yet to do, I try to focus on the ‘now’ and thank God for the one person I’m shopping for in that moment. Yes, I’m sad that I might miss some festivities in the next week or so; I can’t deny that. I also can’t dwell on it. Instead, I’m taking care of myself and thanking God for what I can do. Overall, I feel a great sense of appreciation and peace. What a blessing.

When we slow down, act mindfully, and thank God for His gifts and people around us, we invite His peace to settle over us. We let His peace find us.

Try this: As Christmas gets closer, especially this last weekend before Christmas Eve, resist the urge to get caught up in the frenzy that seems to infect most of us and spread like a nasty virus. Before you pull out of your driveway, pray a short prayer; keep it simple, like, “Lord, keep me kind and patient.” When you’re out shopping, slow your walking and breathing as you make your way through the store. Then – and this is the fun part -- see how many people you can make smile. Make it a game and keep count! When standing in line, remember that no one likes to wait and everyone else has other things to do, too. So, instead of joining the others who are sighing and impatiently shifting packages around, catch someone’s eye and smile. Practice friendly small talk. A little effort on your part could create a minor epidemic of joy and peace to the other shoppers.

Yes, you have much to do; it won’t get done any quicker if you’re grumbling the whole time.

So, slow down and let peace find you. You just might spread it to others – and even get them to smile back.

 “Lord, bless me with Your peace as I prepare for Christmas.”

 

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 If you would like to receive these reflections 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/...