The Gift of a Memorable Experience

We don’t hear much about The Fairy Godmother after she comes to the rescue for Cinderella. After giving her a dress, shoes, and transportation to the ball, the Fairy Godmother fades into the background. We do see the happy chain of events that takes place for Cinderella because of the Godmother’s generosity, but we don’t see much of her. 

Jesus also moved to the background after multiplying the loaves and fish. 

The apostles had pointed out to Him that the people were hungry. Jesus’ response was, “Give them some food yourselves.” When they objected, He told them to give Him the few loaves they had. They handed Him that little bit and He miraculously multiplied it. He didn’t distribute it to the people Himself, though; He gave it back to the apostles. Then they gave the food to the crowd themselves, just as He had told them to! 

Jesus gave two gifts that day: the first was the miracle of multiplying bread – more than enough for everyone. The second was the momentous experience for the apostles. As they passed out the food, they saw the people’s jubilant smiles. They heard their profuse ‘thank yous.’ They felt excitement and awe in playing a role in the miracle. 

Jesus didn’t insist on handing out the food Himself; He stepped back after multiplying it. In this way, He gifted the apostles with an experience they’d never forget.

How might we follow His example?

Maybe your child wants to help you plant a vegetable garden. You buy the seeds, show him how to plant them and teach him about sunlight, water, and waiting. You let him do the watering, and you do the weeding together. You show him when and how to pick the vegetables.

Then you walk with your child and let him offer the veggies to your neighbors free of charge. You step back and watch with pride as they happily thank him and ask him all kinds of questions about how he grew them. You see him smile as he answers their questions.

When you do this, the first gift you give your child is knowledge about planting a garden. The second gift is stepping into the background and letting him experience the neighbors’ delight when he shares with them what he has grown.

It’s not surprising that these gifts to others also end up being some of our most treasured memories. 

“He said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’ But they said to Him, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.’ Then He said, ‘Bring them to Me’… He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.” 

– Matthew 14:16-19

“Lord, help me see how I can step back and give others the gift of a memorable experience.”

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

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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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God Needs Us to Work His Miracles

 

“And He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd.”

 – Luke 9:16

The miracles of God’s marvelous creation are on full display in the western sky this month. According to NASA’s website, Jupiter and Venus are visible now, and Mars will be visible February 27! 

You’re probably familiar with the above story of Jesus feeding the multitudes. Notice, though, that He didn’t immediately take away their hunger. He needed the cooperation of the people around Him in order to perform the miracle: The apostles approached Him with the dilemma; they trusted that He could remedy the situation; the boy generously offered his bread and fish; and the apostles followed Jesus’ instructions to distribute the food.

How did his followers so confidently trust Him? They had spent time with Him, listening to Him. Jesus’ teachings were so different from those that had been passed down through the generations. His teachings weren’t about following rules; they were about loving people – all people! They believed that He wanted only what was good – what was of Love – for them.  

What miracle are you hungry for? Affirmation? Direction? A sense of purpose? Healing? Turn to the One Who created you. He Who made the planets and fed the multitudes can work miracles in your life, too, if you have faith and trust in Him. 

Remember, God doesn’t simply remove our difficulties; He needs our participation. Talk to Him about your situation – that’s prayer. Believe that He wants only what’s good for you. Offer Him what you have: your skills, your resources, your time, your creativity. Let His grace act in you to soften your heart and open your mind. Pay attention to the thoughts God puts in your mind: If they’re rooted in love and if they give you even a mild sense of peace, you know those thoughts are from Him. If they fill you with anger or restlessness, those are not from God but from the evil forces of the world trying to distract you. 

God lives in us and uses us and our circumstances to work miracles and feed our souls. He lets us experience His love in the words and actions we share with each other. He expands our hearts in awe of His creation. He teaches us the magnitude of His love through His words in Scripture. He needs us to cooperate with Him in creating our children! He helps us understand the simplicity of His loving message when we hold a sleeping baby or laugh with a giggling toddler. 

He needs each one of us to share His love and peace with the world.  As Mother Teresa said, ‘We are His hands and His feet.’ 

God needs you. What a miracle that is!

“Lord, I believe You need me. Help me trust in 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/...

Building Campfires of Love

 

“Bring them here to me.” –Matthew 14:18

Jesus had been preaching and healing all day. As evening approached, the apostles suggested that He dismiss the crowd so the people could go and buy food in the nearby village. When He told them to feed the crowd themselves, they pointed out that all they had were a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. They knew that the people needed food; they also knew that what they had wasn’t enough to feed themselves, much less the whole crowd.  

We, too, see the needs of the people around us. We may look at our resources and think we don’t have enough to share. We might think that whatever we do share couldn’t possibly make a difference for anyone else. Maybe we feel foolish giving ‘just a little.’  

‘Bring them here to Me,’ is all Jesus said. He took what little they had, added His loving power to it, and transformed it from something meager into something significant. He can do the same thing with anything we give to our neighbors, whether that’s ourselves, our time, or our goods.

Think of how you build a campfire. You start with kindling and maybe a bit of paper and small broken sticks. A spark is needed to get the fire started, more wood is added a little at a time, and then the large logs are added to keep the fire going. Before long, what started as a small pile of twigs on the ground has become a blazing campfire.

Our kind deeds and humble offerings are like those sticks, and God’s love at work in us is the spark that sets the wood on fire. To build His campfire – His kingdom of love on earth – God needs our firewood. What might this look like?

A phone call to check in on someone who lives alone might be the ‘glowing twig’ that adds brightness to their day and keeps them from feeling lonely.

The items you overbought for your cookout could go to the foodbank or a soup kitchen. You might not have enough to feed many, but added together with others’ donations – sticks upon sticks – your contribution could be an answer to someone’s prayers.

A kind word at the checkout line might bring a smile to someone whose spirit needed to be lifted without your knowing it. The ‘campfire’ of their soul now has a couple more loving sticks on it to make it burn a little brighter.

So offer to Christ what you have, both modest and bountiful. Our Lord will use your good intentions, your random acts of kindness, and your humble donations for His ‘campfire.’ Let His love spark the ‘firewood’ in your own heart and in the hearts of your neighbors.  

“Lord, accept what I give and use it to build Your kingdom of love.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell   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. 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/...