Inspired to Love

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Think of a time, maybe when you were in school, when you felt inadequate or unacceptable to some degree. Maybe you had made a mistake and were ridiculed for it. And then, someone – maybe a teacher or a coach – said a kind word to you that made you feel forgiven and accepted, and not condemned. This kindness inspired you to try harder or to make amends for your mistake.  

That teacher or coach was imitating Christ, whether they intended to or not. By offering kindness to you, by not berating you for whatever you had done, and by inspiring you to do better, they did for you what Christ has done, and still does, for so many.

In Jesus’ day, the rabbis and religious leaders looked with contempt on those who were not as ‘blessed’ or ‘holy’ as they thought themselves to be. Whereas these leaders associated only with people like themselves, Jesus hung around with everyone else, including tax collectors and ‘sinners.’ Regardless of their past transgressions, He showed them that they were worthy of His love. He welcomed them and offered them acceptance and love. He gave them dignity. He didn’t accept them so that they could justify their sinful behavior; He loved them so much that they were inspired to abandon their hurtful ways and do their best to live the way of love He was teaching.

We are all loved by God; we’re also sinners. We all make choices – in our thoughts and in our words, in what we do or fail to do – that hurt ourselves or others, or that put a wedge in our relationship with God. Christ came to show us not only that He doesn’t condemn us, but that His way is the better way. He challenges us to ask His forgiveness and then abandon whatever it is that is unloving. He invites us to trust Him that we’ll be happier if we do our best to imitate Him. Part of being a mature Christian is acknowledging our need for God’s mercy and grace to strengthen us against the temptation to sin. We need Him, the Physician, to heal and empower us. 

No matter what we’ve done, Christ welcomes us to Himself. When we believe His promise that we’re worthy of His love and forgiveness, we’ll be strengthened to abandon our old, hurtful ways and follow His way instead. We turn to Him for forgiveness, and then separate ourselves from whatever or whoever has caused us to sin. Confident in His love, we more readily offer kindness and compassion to others so that they, too, become inspired to love and live His way. This is how we build the Kingdom of God.

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

“Lord, thank You for loving, forgiving, and empowering me.”

Thank you for reading my reflection.  All thanks to God for giving me the ideas and guiding my words!    © 2025 Gina Bedell   

  

Through these reflections, I invite you, the reader, to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other qualified persons in order to grow in your faith and understanding of God’s love and will for your life. 

Comments are always welcome! Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. 

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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.

How Is Washing Pots Like God's Mercy?

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Our son, Michael, worked in the kitchen of one of Yellowstone National Park’s lodges for a summer when he was in college. Sometimes he was asked to put his terrific culinary skills to use, and other times he was assigned the task of washing pots and pans. The lodge fed hundreds of people every day; you can imagine the massive quantity of food that was prepared, and cookware used, to feed that many people! At the end of the summer, he shared with us some insight he’d gotten while washing all those pots:

During his shift, Michael’s task was to wash the never-ending stream of dirty pots and pans. He settled into a kind of rhythm, accepting each pan as it arrived, one after another. He washed it, rinsed it, and then set it on the rack to be used again. Wash, rinse, rack; wash, rinse, rack, over and over again for hours. He knew that those pots would be cooked in again, and he’d get them back to wash again, maybe several times before his shift was over. He didn’t get frustrated by any of this. This was his job: Take a pot and wash it, take the next pan and wash it, one after the other, again and again and again.

Michael realized that this is how God accepts us when we ask Him to forgive us. We ‘get dirty’ – we do or say something that we know was hurtful. Or, we fail to act, or fail to speak up, when doing so would have been a loving or helpful thing to do. We feel sorry, we go to God and humbly ask Him to forgive us, and He forgives us. He ‘washes us clean.’ We’re freed from our burden and are inspired to do better. Then, after a time, we fail again and we go back, bringing our heavy hearts to Him once more, asking for mercy – and He forgives us again. He doesn’t condemn us or get frustrated with us. He doesn’t expect us to stay ‘clean’ forever. He welcomes us every time we go to Him, sins and all, and then He forgives us, again and again and again. He lets us start over. He gives us a second chance, and a third, and a millionth, forever. Kind of like that steady stream of dirty pots and pans that Michael washed, as many times as we sin and then ask God for His mercy and forgiveness, He forgives us.

God’s unending mercy gives us hope and inspires us to try to do better. And when we fall short once more and return to Him, He forgives us, again, so we can start over, again, with renewed hope and inspiration.

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.” – Psalm 118:1

“Lord, thank You for forgiving me, time and time 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, 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.

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.

God Doesn't Keep Score

Baseball is a game of hope; it’s a game of second chances. Each batter takes a turn at the plate and, no matter if he gets a hit or not, he’s given another chance  – and another and another – when his turn comes up again in subsequent innings. 

God gives us more chances, too. Infinitely more chances. When we choose to do or say something that is unloving and hurtful, something that pulls us away from Him or from each other – when we sin  – He allows us to come back to Him and be forgiven again, and again, and again. 

Our God is Love and Mercy. We may have a hard time believing that God loves us and will forgive us, especially if our parents were hard on us or if they weren’t capable of loving us the way we needed to be loved. But He does, and He will. Always.

Take comfort in the fact that God doesn’t keep score. He doesn’t keep track of the times you’ve failed or the errors you’ve made. He knows you mean well. He sees your efforts to love the people around you in the best ways you know how. He knows your weaknesses and still He loves you and offers you His forgiveness time and time again. He wants to free you from the weight of your sins; He wants you to know the joy that comes with that freedom. 

Think of the relief you felt as a child when you finally told the truth about something you had been feeling guilty about. There may have been consequences for your actions and still, above all else, you felt relieved at having gotten it off your chest. You were forgiven; you could put it behind you, finally. Christ offers us this same kind of relief on a much deeper level in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we unload our burdens of guilt to Jesus hidden in the priest. We ask our Lord to forgive us for those times when what we chose to say or do hurt someone else or pulled us away from the Love of God. We express our remorse. Then Christ Himself wipes our slate clean, sets us free from our guilt, and lets us try again. Our hearts feel light, our confidence is restored, our joy is deep!

No matter how often you fall, Christ will forgive your sins every time you ask Him to. He will forgive them and forget them. He’ll give you another chance. And another. And another.

“...You gave Your children good ground for hope that You would permit repentance for their sins.”  – Wisdom 12:19

“Lord, thank You for inviting us back to You over and over again.”

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/...

What's in Your Bucket?

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love...”  – Ephesians 5:1-2 

In the 1990 movie ‘Ghost,’ when Sam is being called to heaven, he says to Molly, “It’s incredible, Molly. All the love inside you? You take it with you.”

I was thinking about this scene not too long ago and an image came to mind that I’d like to share with you:

 

I imagined I was walking toward heaven and approaching Jesus. I noticed I was carrying a bucket in each hand. I thought of the 1 Corinthians 13 passage that starts out, ‘Love is patient, love is kind.’ I looked down at the buckets and saw that each one was filled with all my attitudes and actions that were not loving, like impatience. 

Jesus had his arms outstretched to welcome and embrace me; I wanted to run to Him, but I couldn’t get to Him because the buckets were dragging me down. And even if I could have reached Him, I couldn’t have hugged Him back because I was still holding onto those buckets. So, instead of taking a heart full of love to heaven, as Sam described in the movie, I wasn’t able to get close to Jesus because I was carrying those buckets full of junk.

God wants us to be with Him for all eternity. Since God is love, then heaven can contain only love, not the kind of junk I was carrying. Since God is everywhere, then when we let His love immerse us and we share it with others, we can catch glimpses of heaven here, in this life. Then, when our time on earth is over, God will be waiting with open arms to welcome us, and we’ll experience the magnitude of His love when we share eternal life with Him. 

Since heaven contains only love, we can experience heaven only if we ask Him to forgive us and help us get rid of all that is not loving, everything that’s weighing us down and hindering His loving work in us. Then our hearts will be open to receive a new outpouring of His Spirit in us so that we, in turn, can extend our hands to others in love, forgiveness, and service. 

We’re now halfway through Lent. Now is a good time to look at what we’re carrying around with us in our spiritual ‘buckets.’ Now is the time to empty those buckets – our hearts, minds, and souls – from all that is not loving. Now is the time to ask God to free us from whatever hinders us from loving Him and the people around us, and make room for more of everything that is love: patience, kindness, and all the rest.

“Lord, help me get rid of those unloving attitudes and actions that weigh me down and keep me separated from You.”

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/...

Forgive and Be Free

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

--Matthew 6:12

You: “I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Me: “That’s OK.” 

That’s how it usually goes, right?

Wouldn’t a better response be, “I forgive you”? Saying “That’s OK” doesn’t acknowledge your own pain or your need for forgiveness. By saying “I forgive you” I accept your apology and assure you that I’m willing to put the matter behind us.

Every time we pray the “Our Father” we ask our Lord to forgive us as we forgive others. When we sin – when we do something hurtful to ourselves or someone else – and tell God, “I’m sorry,” He doesn’t say, “That’s OK.” He says, “I forgive you.” We’re to do the same for others. 

Forgiveness is an act of the will, not a feeling. (It’s different from reconciliation, which involves both parties.) We choose to forgive someone even if we don’t feel forgiving. We acknowledge the hurt they caused us and decide not to let what was done in the past taint our present. When we forgive, we set ourselves free; we don’t give the offender power over us. Instead, we allow the power of God to release us from our ruminating and the need for revenge. We ask God for the grace to look into the other’s heart and see the goodness there. 

What if the offender doesn’t ask us for forgiveness? We can still choose to forgive them, in our hearts. 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean giving someone permission to hurt us again. We need to protect ourselves, especially in severe cases.That might mean having an honest conversation with the other person, seeking counseling, or getting out of an abusive relationship. We may have to distance ourselves from someone, or avoid situations that make us vulnerable. 

We recall that when people, including us, hurt others, we’re sometimes acting out of our own hurt. So we forgive, and ask for forgiveness. We ask God to heal our hearts and replace our pain with His peace. 

With His grace, we’re free to treat others and ourselves with love, mercy, and kindness. 

God is waiting to set you free – from bitterness, pain, and the weight of your own sins. Today, Wednesday, March 8, all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Cleveland will be open for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5-8 p.m. Remember that Christ is there, hidden by the priest. Whether it’s been a week or a lifetime since your last Confession, you’re invited to ‘begin again’ at any church in the diocese. Let Jesus pour His loving grace and mercy upon you through this wonderful sacrament of freedom, peace, and reconciliation with God.

“Lord, give me the grace and courage to seek Your forgiveness and forgive

others as You forgive 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/...

You Are Inherently Good

 

 When our son was about 10, he spotted a turtle in the street near our house. Concerned it would get run over, and thinking that the turtle was trying to get to water, he carried it to our back yard and pointed it in the direction of the river.

Michael was surprised the next day to find the turtle back near the street instead of closer to the river. Again, he carried it to our back yard and pointed it toward the river.

When he found it a third time near the street, we called my sister-in-law Belinda, who’s a veterinarian. She informed us that turtles always go back to where they came from. She advised Michael to put the turtle on the grass, on the other side of the street, pointed in the direction it apparently wanted to go. Michael did so, and we can assume it found its way home because we never saw it again.

“God created mankind in his image;
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them…

God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.” – Genesis 1:27, 31

 

God created us in His image. At our core, we are very good. Unfortunately, thanks to the story of Adam and Eve, we tend to think of ourselves as fallen people who struggle to do good things. The truth is, we are not bad people trying to do what’s good. Rather, we are good people who sometimes do hurtful things to ourselves, to other people, and to our planet.

We feel happy when we experience kindness and love because Love is our origin. The reason that feelings like anger, jealousy, and sadness are uncomfortable, and the reason we’re distressed by illness and hardship, is because these things are contrary to our inherent goodness.

We know that ‘here’ isn’t our true home. Kind of like the turtle, we have a deep desire to connect with where we came from. We’re drawn to people and actions that bring us peace and joy because they allow us to experience the Love that created us: God.

So, take a moment to remind yourself that God created you in His image! You were created in love, for love, and by Love. Keep this in mind as you strive to move toward what is kind and loving, in any way you can. Yes, you will make choices that take you in the opposite direction. When that happens, forgive yourself as you want to be forgiven, turn around, and then start again toward Love.

By the way, Saturday morning the idea came to me out of the blue to write about Michael’s turtle experience. Sunday afternoon we biked on the Towpath, and I took this picture of the large snapping turtle. I thought the timing was pretty cool!  

“Lord, help me remember that You created me, and so I am inherently good.”

 

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/...

A Peace Meal

 

“Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you just caught… Come, have breakfast.’”

–John 21:10, 12

 

The last time the apostles ate with Jesus was at The Last Supper, right before all of them (except John) ran away when Jesus was arrested and then crucified.  Now, they come ashore and see Him cooking breakfast on the beach (see John 21:9). He asks them to contribute some of what they have to the meal, and He invites them to join Him in it. What’s His message here?

Jesus wants to offer the apostles more than food; He wants to feed their souls as well as their bodies. When He holds out His hand to accept their fish, it’s a gesture of peace. They abandoned Him that Holy Thursday night, and now He comes into their presence and cooks breakfast for them. Through this humble act, He reassures them that He’s not holding a grudge. Also, by asking them to add what they have to what He already has prepared, He lets them see themselves as His partners. He invites them to leave behind the pain of the past and move forward: He has forgiven them. He still considers them His friends. He still loves them. He still has big plans for them.

Jesus does the same for you. He offers you His food for your soul: His friendship, His peace, His forgiveness, His love. Accept the peace He wants to give you. Thank Him for His blessings. Look for evidence of His love in the people and places all around you. He wants you to experience His love, and He invites you to share in His work of showing that love to the world. He’s present to you whenever you come to Him, no matter where you come from or what you’ve done in the past. Tell Him what’s been troubling you and let Him put His reassuring words in your head and heart. He wants you to see yourself as His partner and friend. He loves you; He has big plans for you.

Jesus will accept our contributions, our gifts, talents, and all we have to offer to partner with Him in His work. Let’s imitate His benevolent and peacemaking gestures. Kind of like a charcoal grill that transforms dead, smelly fish into something nourishing and delicious, so can Christ’s presence, friendship, love, and peace – made available to us through His cross and resurrection -- transform our humble acts of kindness and charity into grace-filled, love-filled actions that can change the world.

“Lord, thank You for calling me Your friend. I want to partner with You to bring Your love and peace to the world.”

 

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!

 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/...

 

The Freedom of Forgiveness

 

Corrie ten Boom did the unimaginable after surviving a Nazi concentration camp. In her uplifting and powerful autobiography The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie ten Boom, she tells of the moment years after her release when she came face to face with the Nazi guard who had brutalized her and countless others. She had just given a talk on the need for forgiveness -- one of many speeches she gave across the world -- when the former guard approached her, asked if she would forgive him, and offered her his outstretched hand. Slowly and mechanically she lifted her hand and, as he grasped it, she felt a kind of electric current run down her arm to their clasped hands; a freeing feeling of deep peace flowed through her and toward this man.

Notice that it was only after Corrie grasped his hand did the feeling come to her. That’s because forgiveness is an act of the will, not a feeling. Forgiving is deciding to not hold onto the wrongdoing any longer. (Reconciliation requires both parties; forgiveness involves only you.)

Consider:

‘The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.’ –Luke 6:38

and

“…Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...”

--Matthew 6:12

Who do you need to forgive? A parent? Your spouse? A teacher or friend? Yourself? We might not feel forgiving, but we can decide to forgive them. We might not feel anything dramatic like Corrie did; still, we can set ourselves free from the transgression. We can let it go. We can say out loud, “Lord, I forgive _____ for _____. “  

‘Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.’ –Luke 6:36

God lives in us; we have His power in us to forgive.  And as we forgive others, so does God forgive us. We’re freed from others’ wrongdoings, we’re freed from our own sins, and we’re empowered to forgive others again in a loving cycle of forgiveness, freedom, and peace.

“God’s forgiveness is a sign of His overflowing love for each of us… it is the tenderness with which each sinner is welcomed when he knocks at His door… His heart rejoices over every child who returns…” – Pope Francis

God wants to forgive you!

Today, Wednesday, March 16, all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Cleveland will be open for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5-8 p.m.  Remember that Christ is there, hidden by the priest. Whether it’s been a week or a lifetime since your last Confession, you’re invited to ‘begin again’ at any church in the diocese. If not today, then sometime during Lent, let Jesus pour His loving grace and mercy upon you through this wonderful sacrament of freedom, peace, and reconciliation with God. 

“Lord, give me the grace and courage to seek Your forgiveness and forgive others.”

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

 p.s.

The Cleveland Maidan Association is one of many trusted organizations sending help to Ukraine. If you’d like to donate to them using either PayPal OR a credit/debit card, use this link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 

Inspired for the New Year

                  “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to the entire human race. 

It teaches us to reject godless ways and worldly desires…

to lead lives that are temperate, upright, and godly.

The goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

not because of any righteous deeds on our part  but because of his mercy...”

–Titus 2:11-12, 3:4-5

 God’s grace and mercy inspire us with wisdom and courage. We might think of a mentor we had during our younger years: a loving parent, coach, or mentor who challenged us, cheered us on, celebrated with us, and consoled us. As our respect and admiration for this person inspired us to do our best and learn from our mistakes, so does our confidence in God’s love and mercy make us want to learn from our past and become more like Him.

“The Lord takes delight in His people.” –Psalm 149:4

Let those words sink in: God loves you and delights in you!

Through the mercy of God we are forgiven again and again – and again – with unconditional, unending love. God’s mercy makes us want to reject our godless ways and worldly desires and lead lives that are temperate, upright, and godly. His grace may give us insight to make New Year’s Resolutions. We may recall that we’re created in His image, and so we may set specific goals to take care of ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We’re given courage to make changes that will make us more loving, patient, kind, compassionate, and generous.

Let’s pray for God’s inspiration as we begin this New Year. Let’s pray for the wisdom and courage to make changes that will make us more like Him.

“Lord, fill me with your grace and mercy.”

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