Believe in the One He Sent

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Watching all you people with green thumbs this time of year is like watching little kids in early December. The excitement is palpable. You finally get to dig in your dirt. Finally, you get to plant your salads and your flowers. And, like the kids who write their letters to Santa and wait in hopeful anticipation, so do you do your planting and watch for the first sprouts to poke up through the earth.

If you didn’t believe that your garden would grow, you wouldn’t do the work of planting seeds. If little Johnny didn’t believe that presents would be under the tree on Christmas morning, he wouldn’t bother making a list.

What about our faith? Do we believe that Christ, risen from the dead, is alive within us? Do we do the work of asking our Lord to strengthen our faith? 

Our brains may not be able to grasp the power of the risen Christ, and our minds may not be able to fully comprehend that the Eucharist really is the Body and Blood of Christ, but when we profess our belief in these truths and open our hearts to Him, we invite our Lord to bless us with even deeper faith – faith that has the power to transform us.

Deeper faith gives us the strength to imitate Christ even more closely and become more like Him. It also gives us the courage to take steps toward Him with humility, kind of like how you plant seeds: We trust that He’ll bless us and our efforts and bring to fruition the works of our hands. 

With stronger faith we open our hearts to Christ’s loving grace and come to understand His Way better. As Augustine of Hippo said, “For understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe so that you may understand.”

And what rewards we receive when we believe! We receive insight where there had been ignorance. We experience peace of mind and heart when we accept that “God makes all things work together for good for those who love him” (Romans 8:28). We learn the redemptive value of suffering. We are strong with Him where we had been weak by ourselves. And so much more.

As you plant the seeds in your garden this spring – or watch your neighbors do so – ask our Lord to plant the seeds of faith deeper into your heart. Ask Him for faith that fills you with grace, courage, strength, humility, and understanding. Let your belief in Him enlighten you; transform you; and empower you to do His will.

“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”  –John 6:29

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around 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. 

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P.S.

Pray for peace at home 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 people around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Where Do We Plant Ourselves?

 

 

 “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the one whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a wasteland. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. He is like a tree, planted beside the waters, that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green. In the year of drought it still bears fruit… I will reward each person according to the results of his deeds” (See Jeremiah 17:5-10).

The bush on the left is vulnerable. There’s nothing to protect it from the harsh elements of the desert. There’s no water, so it bears no fruit. It merely survives in its isolated, unchanging existence.

The tree on the right stretches its roots to the stream, which helps it grow and flourish. It’s not alone but surrounded by other fruitful plants and everything that lives in the stream. Even in times of drought, it bears fruit because of its thriving environment.

Where we plant ourselves will affect how fruitful we are. If we’re proactive in staying close to our Lord and His guidance, we’ll be fruitful in the ways God created us to be. We’ll produce good fruit if we place ourselves in environments that bring out the best in us, and surround ourselves with people who encourage us to be our most loving selves. Even when life feels difficult, we’ll still bear fruit if we resist the forces that try to pull us away from God.

Let’s take a look around and see where we’ve planted ourselves. Do I remind myself throughout the day that God is with me, and reach out to Him for affirmation and guidance? Do my work, hobbies, and how I spend my free time help me to become a more loving, generous person? Do my family, friends and I bring out the best in each other? Am I proactive in building a more peaceful world, starting with my home? Asking ourselves questions like these, especially as we approach Holy Week, will shine a light on how we might reach out to God to bear more good fruit.

 “Lord, life feels overwhelming at times. Show us how to plant ourselves closer to You. Nourish and refresh us. We trust Your promise to reward us according to our hearts and deeds.”

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/... 

Checks may be made payable to Cleveland Maidan Association and mailed to

Pokrova Ukrainian Church

6812 Broadview Rd.

Parma, OH 44134