Rewards Now, Rewards Later

Imagine telling a first-grader, “Listen to your teachers and do your homework, and when you grow up you’ll be able to get a good job.” 

Of course we don’t say that. Being a grown-up is so far away; getting a good job can’t be the child’s primary goal. He has to experience the joy of learning and the satisfaction of reaching smaller goals first. So throughout his school years, we let him experience those with each little accomplishment. Only after many years of schooling can he be guided toward using his God-given talents for a particular field of work. 

In last week’s reflection I cited Matthew 7:13-14: “...How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life…” I pointed out that Christ promises that following His Way is the way to eternal life. A couple of people asked: Is our primary goal getting to heaven? Don’t we get rewarded here, too? Isn’t there value in imitating Christ simply because doing so makes our life and our world better?

Yes, we do get rewarded now. God designed us to get a good feeling when we show love to others, whether it’s by giving a special gift, sharing our time, offering a random act of kindness or kind word, or doing any other kind deed. These actions also strengthen our relationships and make our world better. Like the student who experiences rewards for working hard, so do we experience rewards for imitating Christ throughout our life. 

We’ll get rewarded later, too. We look ahead to Christ’s promise of unending joy with Him in eternal life. Most of us are familiar with this verse:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Most of us consider eternal life as life with God in heaven. We know that God is love, so maybe heaven is less of a location and more of a state of being. When we love others through our words and actions, we’re showing God to them. We’re bringing heaven to them. We’re bringing heaven to earth. Christ offers us life after we pass away, and also makes it possible that our life here on earth could be full of His love, His peace, and His joy: 

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

So, yes, our rewards come both now and later. Think of it this way: Loving in this life is kind of like practice for eternity. Our thoughts, words, and actions become who we are. When we’re absorbed in loving others, when our thoughts, words, and actions are rooted in Love, then we experience heaven here and now. We then take who we are with us and continue to be absorbed by Love for eternity.

“Lord, let me grasp every opportunity to bring heaven to earth.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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Love's Reward

The Wizard of Oz said to the Tin Man, ‘A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.’ 

This statement has bothered me for as long as I can remember. Maybe you’ve questioned it, too? How much we’re loved by others may have nothing to do with how much love we give. 

Celebrities are greatly loved by many; this has nothing to do with how much the celebrities love anyone. Mobs of adoring fans pack stadiums to watch athletes perform, regardless of how they treat the people around them. 

Contrary to what the Wizard of Oz said, we are called to love others, not get them to love us. 

There are people whose love for others is much greater than the love others have for them. Jesus is the #1 example. As a man He was Love Incarnate. He used the power of Love to teach, heal, forgive, and free people from emotional distress. Large crowds followed Him, but there were many who mistrusted Him. Some people were so disturbed by His Way of loving that they killed Him. He knew they were plotting to kill Him and yet He continued to love those who came to Him. His love to the point of death was rewarded with His resurrection and eternal life in heaven. 

Mother Teresa expressed love in the dignity she gave to the poorest of the poor, the sick, and the dying. She did it out of love for Christ: she loved them because she saw in each person the image of Christ. Probably few of them could love her back because they were so close to death. She undoubtedly is being rewarded now with eternal life with Christ Himself.

Jesus said, “Love one another'' not “Make sure people love you” or even “Love others so that they love you back.” 

And so, each of us is called to show the love of Christ to those around us – in our own ways, with the talents God has given us – whether or not they also love us, and especially if they don’t love us (see Luke 6:34-36)! We have the capacity for great love because Christ’s Love already dwells inside us. We claim His Love; we thank Him for loving us and we treat ourselves kindly. We look for opportunities to give this Love for the benefit of others, everywhere we go and in everything we do. We know that the more love we share, the more it grows and the stronger it becomes inside us. And we give it with joy and confidence, remembering that Christ assured us that we, too, will be rewarded for sharing His love with others, regardless of whether we’re loved in return.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” –Matthew 5:12

“Lord, let my joy come from loving You in the people around me!”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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p.s.

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Love Won

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” – Psalm 118:24

Have you ever watched small children at an Easter egg hunt? When the littlest ones find an egg, they snatch it up and run over to their mom or dad to show off their treasure. They don’t look for more, at least not right away. They don’t complain that it’s the wrong color. They simply celebrate that they found one. 

We could take a lesson from those little children during this Easter season. Let’s celebrate the reality of Easter: Love won. Jesus is risen from the dead; His resurrection gives us hope for our own resurrection. Instead of dwelling on what ‘more’ we’re wanting, or fixating on what’s ‘wrong’ with our life, let’s recall that there’s more to life than our daily grind and difficulties. Christ promises us that there’s a place reserved for us in heaven, to live with him in complete joy, peace, and love. 

And if that weren’t enough, while we’re living our lives here on Earth we’re given a new day, each day, to start again, to let His Spirit live in us and inspire our every action with His love. We don’t have to wait till we die to see Him; we can look for Him in the people and world around us. We can pay attention to His prompting us through our ‘gut feelings’ to reach out from ourselves to serve others. This is how we experience heaven now: we bring a bit of heaven to Earth.

No matter what else is part of our reality, no matter how difficult life may be for us now, no matter what pain we’re suffering, and even no matter how frightening the diagnosis or the news is – all of this is temporary. If we believe that Love is more powerful than even death, then we can also believe that Love is more powerful than financial strains, relationship issues, illness, and all other hardships. 

Not even death gets the last word. Let’s celebrate the reality that Jesus is alive; He is with us to love, inspire, and guide us; and He is saving a place for us to live with Him for all eternity. 

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” –Romans 8:11

“Lord, open the eyes of my heart to comprehend the reality of Your resurrection and the hope it means for me.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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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!

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"Would You Like to Join Us?"

  

 “Be hospitable to one another without complaining.” – 1 Peter 4:9

We smiled as we took our cones from the friendly teen at Brown’s Dairy Dock, and then we stepped aside and looked around. Happy customers filled the half-dozen shaded picnic tables at this popular ice cream stand; the blazing July sun beat down on the few empty tables. We made our way to the side of the little building and stood in the narrow shadow of the eaves. Dairy Dock’s orange/vanilla twist is a unique treat; we didn’t mind standing.

A woman sitting at one of the shaded tables caught my eye and offered, “We have room here. Would you like to join us?” She and the young girls sitting with her moved in closer together. We hesitated only a second before seating ourselves at the table with them. We introduced ourselves and soon were sharing friendly stories of places we’ve been and our plans for the rest of the summer. The conversation continued even after we’d finished our ice cream. After a while we exchanged goodbyes, hoping to run into each other there again another time.

“Would you like to join us?” This simple gesture of hospitality was one of those pebble-in-the-pond acts, where the magnitude of the offer is less remarkable than the ripple effect it has. Connecting with someone new, listening to their stories, and even just acknowledging the kindness of their offer added a glow of happiness to our day. Our encounter was an example of the unity that God desires for all people – it brought a bit of heaven to us.

“I… urge you to live with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”

-- Ephesians 4:1-3

Next week is Thanksgiving. As we take time to thank God for blessing us with everything we have and everyone we know, let’s use the gift of hospitality to bring this little slice of heaven called unity to our homes. Let’s open not only our doors but also our hearts. Let’s foster unity by focusing on what we have in common, not our differences. Let’s truly listen to what someone has to say so we understand where they’re coming from. Let’s bring a bit of the joy of heaven to our home by showering each person with kindness. This is true hospitality.

“Lord, give me the courage to strengthen the bonds of unity between us.”

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!

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 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:

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Why Mary's Example Gives Us Hope

 

(Photo credit: Paul Csogi @csogi)

 

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

 –Luke 1:45

These words were spoken by Elizabeth to Mary, who had just heard the angel Gabriel’s message and agreed to become the Mother of God. Though Mary didn’t understand all of it, she believed the angel’s words and trusted that God’s plan was rooted in His love for her.  

Mary didn’t ask to see the big picture or to be given all the answers before saying yes to God. She believed that He loved her and would guide her in her role as Jesus’ mother. She took each day as it came and was faithful to what she believed God was asking her to do, whether that was humbly accepting shelter in a stable, confidently telling the disciples to ‘do whatever He tells you’ at the wedding in Cana, courageously staying with Jesus at the foot of the cross, or praying and waiting with hope with the apostles for the Holy Spirit in the upper room.

Mary’s example of faithfulness gives us hope. Every year on August 15 we celebrate her assumption, body and soul, into heaven. Why do we celebrate this? Because she was a human being like us – she wasn’t divine -- and yet she’s with God. God rewarded her faithfulness by giving her eternal life. Mary’s assumption is a preview of what’s in store for us; it shows that there’s more to life than just our time here on earth. It proves that we, too, can hope for the reward of eternal life.

God loves you so much that He wants you to be with Him forever. He doesn’t require you to see the big picture or have all the answers now, just like He didn’t expect Mary to. He simply invites you to believe Him and follow Him. What does this look like? He asks you to show His love to the person in front of you, whether friend or foe, in whatever way you can. He asks you to be faithful to Him and to do what you believe is the loving thing to do in any given moment. He, in turn, promises you eternal life.

“I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” –John 14:3

Believe the words of Jesus. Trust Him. Live in His love. He wants you to be with Him forever.

“Lord, thank You for letting me hope for eternal life! Help me to follow Mary’s example of faithfulness to You.”

 

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell    

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 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:

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Faith Is Power

  “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” –Luke 17:6

Imagine:  trees uprooting themselves and moving to another location. That’s impossible! Yet Jesus’ point is that, when we put our faith in Him and His loving power, what we think is impossible can become possible. What do you wish was possible? Maybe it’s to break out of a cycle of sin or forgive that particular someone – including yourself? Maybe it’s overcoming an addiction, finding gainful employment, or being healed? Whatever it is, ask God for His grace and power to help you make it happen.

Faith gives us courage to believe the promises of Christ. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Believe that God loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him! Believe that Christ made that possible through His own death and resurrection, which proved that Love is more powerful than the evil that tried to destroy Him.

Faith helps us trust God, knowing that His ways are not our ways. We may ask God for greater faith and then seek out His wisdom. As Augustine of Hippo said, “I believe so that I may better understand. I understand so that I may believe.”

Faith doesn’t solve all our problems for us, and having faith doesn’t mean we’ll never worry. Think of Mary and Joseph traveling for a day toward home from Jerusalem and then discovering that 12-year-old Jesus wasn’t with the large group (see Luke 2:41-50). Of course they were worried! They were also proactive: they asked their fellow travelers if anyone had seen Him and then went back to Jerusalem to look for Him. They certainly asked God to protect Him and guide them to Him. After a few days they found Jesus in the temple, conversing with the rabbis. He was surprised they had worried: ‘Didn’t you know I was right here the whole time?’

Imagine Christ saying to you, “Follow their example. When you’re worried or struggling, come to Me. Trust that I’m always here, right beside you. Have faith in Me and My love for you. I want you to know true joy; I want to ease your burdens. Ask Me to show you the next step. Let Me pour My wisdom, strength and courage into your soul. Let Me fill you with My peace.”

“Lord, I believe in You. Increase my faith. Help me trust in Your loving power so that, with You, I can do the impossible.”

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We Have Only Today

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” ― Stephen Grellet

 All day, every day, we’re faced with hundreds of choices. Many of these seem small and insignificant, yet each choice leads to the next, which leads to the next. Our lives and the lives of the people around us are shaped by the ripple effect of our choices.

 As Christians, we’re called to be deliberate in choosing God’s way of loving and serving our neighbors over our self-serving ways. This isn’t a one-time decision but a choice we make over and over again each day. Remembering this helps us stay tuned in to what He wants, puts us in an ‘other-centered’ frame of mind, and affects everything we think about, say, and do. Even if our efforts go unnoticed or unappreciated, and even though we may never know the results of our good deeds, our task is the same. Loving and serving others is how we bring heaven to earth.

 Sometimes, though, we choose our own way. In our mistaken belief that serving ourselves will make us happy, we do or say things that hurt others. So what do we do after we mess up? How do we get past the guilt of “Why did I do that?” or “Why did I say that?” This is when we turn to God and ask for His forgiveness (and maybe the forgiveness of another person). God loves us and will welcome us back with open arms, just as the father welcomed home his prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32). Turn back to God, and then start again with the next good choice.

 We have only today. Maybe today will be our last day, and maybe we’ll have thousands more days, but this day will never come again. Let’s remember that each choice leads to another. Let our goal be to look back on our day and see a trail of more goodness and holiness than sin and selfishness. Let’s work to build the kingdom of God here on earth, one loving choice at a time.

 “Show me Your ways, Lord; teach me Your paths.” –Psalm 25:4

 

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God Doesn't Give Up

 

Imagine driving across the country on a highway with no roadblocks, no detours, and even no attractive exits along the way. Imagine nothing but a straight path, free of challenges and anything that would distract you from reaching your destination.

Sometimes we want life to be like that: we want God to make our journey easy. He knows better than we do, though, and in His wisdom He lets us choose which routes to follow and which exits to take. Over the past 10, 30 or 50 years you probably chose routes that brought you closer to Him and maybe took exits that led you far away from Him. You may even be lost right now. No matter where you are, God sees your potential. He invites you to turn toward Him and let Him pour His grace on you. He will never give up on you because He knows you’re still on your journey.   

Imagine what would have happened if Jesus had said to Zacchaeus, “You’re a liar and a cheat. I doubt anyone would hire you, but go get a decent job and then come back. Maybe I’ll let you hang out with Me.” Instead, Jesus first loved him. He saw the longing in his heart and offered him an opportunity to follow Him. The love and peace that radiated from Jesus caused Zacchaeus to quit his job on the spot, take Jesus up on His invitation, and offer to pay back fourfold anyone he had cheated. Jesus loved him despite his dishonest work and then Zacchaeus turned his life around.

God does the same with us. He doesn’t say, “Get your act together and then I’ll love you.” Instead, He loves us first. He loves us now. He knows we have the potential to become more like Him and never gives up on us. He gives us opportunities to turn toward Him through our circumstances, the people we encounter, and the sacraments. He continually invites us to follow His way of gentleness, kindness, compassion, and patience which will bring us the joy we so desperately long for.

God offers His love and mercy to us no matter where we are. In turn, we’re called to offer these to our ‘travel companions’ and invite them to follow Him. We don’t know all the roadblocks they’ve encountered, and maybe they’ve taken exits we’re unfamiliar with. That’s not our business. What matters is that we’re all on this journey together and, as He won’t give up on us, we can’t give up on each other. Let’s ask God to guide all of us on our journey and lead us closer to Him.

 “Lord, thank You for not giving up on me.”

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Treasures

(May 5, 2021) Picture yourself standing in your garage. It’s as clean and organized as a garage can be. It has room for your car and your bike, the lawnmower, gardening supplies, workbench and tools, and maybe even a couple lawn games or kids’ toys. It’s a good garage, and yet it’s not your home.

Above the garage there’s an attic. Imagine that it’s immaculately clean; all kinds of treasures are carefully stored up there. Picture the attic full of shining gems that are not diamonds but, miraculously, countless intangibles like love, joy, patience, insight, happiness, guidance, fulfillment, perseverance, peace, discipline, generosity, kindness, and wisdom.  

Now, imagine you’re working in the garage and you start feeling like something is missing. You’re not sure what, exactly. So you stop what you’re doing and try to figure out what’s causing your unrest. Before long you realize that what’s missing is something that’s in the attic. You look up at the ceiling and notice a door with a chain hanging from it. You pull the chain and, as the door swings down, you see stairs attached to it. You reach up and pull them down; a full staircase unfolds and reaches the floor. The staircase is sturdy and you trust it to hold your weight. You climb up the stairs to get to the treasures in the attic; you won’t rest until you’ve found what you need. 

I like to use the attic as an analogy for heaven and also for how we can experience heaven on earth. The main part of the garage is like our life on earth: it’s a little messy. The garage is not our permanent home and so we oftentimes feel unfulfilled. The attic, on the other hand, is heaven and eternal life. It’s where our true home is, and what we were created for. It’s where perfect love, peace, and all the other treasures are found. We need the attic door, as we need Jesus, to help us reach the treasures of heaven. The staircase attached to the door is our faith. The staircase is everything God gives us to show us His love and help us share it with the people around us: the Scriptures, our prayer time, the sacraments, our friends and family, our church community, and even the miracles of nature. The staircase is given to guide us, support us, and lead us to our destination. The stairs are available to us; it’s our choice to use them and learn from them.

Now, here’s the best news: These treasures are inside our hearts, also! God created us in His image. We don’t have to go far to find Him; He’s ever-present, ready and waiting to show us His love, His peace, and His way to heaven. At our baptism, we received His grace and His Spirit to live in us and do the works He did as the man named Jesus. God simply asks that we make the effort, to stop what we’re doing for a few moments each day and seek out His treasures. 

When we pray, we open our minds and hearts to see what God has in store for us in that moment. When we pray, we open the door to His treasures.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” 

John 14:13-14

“Lord, thank You for loving me! Help me remember to open the door to all the treasures You offer me each day.”

This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell © 2021. It and other reflections written by her invite the reader to ponder a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the reader to a deeper faith and understanding of God’s love and will for their life.