They Sang in Prison

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In the Acts of the Apostles, we read how the apostles went from city to city teaching people about the risen Christ. Usually, the people listened to the apostles and welcomed their message. But on one particular occasion, Paul and Silas were met with hostility; they were beaten and then thrown into prison. Picturing them sitting in a cell with their feet chained to a stake, we might expect that they panicked. We could relate to them if they agonized about what else could possibly go wrong. We could even understand if they ranted at God and questioned how He could allow them to be arrested while they did His work. 

But that’s not what they did. As Paul and Silas sat in their cell, they prayed out loud and sang hymns to God while the other prisoners listened. They were such a non-threat to the jailer that he fell asleep at his post. 

Paul and Silas may have first felt panic, worry, anger, and the other difficult emotions we naturally feel when we find ourselves in a painful situation; we don’t know. But we can follow their example and make a decision to turn our hearts and thoughts to our Lord when the going gets tough and ask Him to help us get through it.

It’s a choice we can make. When we’re in a crisis, we can either let ourselves get into a tizzy – and stay there – or we can pray and praise God even with those difficult emotions. We can use our praying or singing to ask God to help us carry our pain. We can continue to praise Him for His goodness and His love for us, confident that He’ll support us through every struggle. 

This may be difficult to do. We so easily get dragged down into despair! However, if we make it a habit to pray and praise God when things are going relatively smoothly, then it will be more natural for us to do so when life overwhelms us. That’s one reason why Paul writes, “Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks…” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).

Praying and praising God might not take away our struggle, but doing so will help us focus less on the problem and more on the loving compassion of God. We’ll remind ourselves that He will never abandon us, and that reassurance may help ease our burden. We might ask Him, “Now what do I do?” We can listen for direction from Him, spoken either through the people around us or in the thoughts and feelings that come to us. Maybe there will be something we can do to remedy the situation, and maybe not. Either way, we can trust our Lord to lead us through every challenge. We just have to ask Him. 

“About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened…” – Acts 16:25

Let all I do be with You, for You, and because of You.

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. 

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

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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.

Store Up Treasures for Heaven

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“It’s amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.” Sam (played by the late Patrick Swayze) said this to his beloved Molly (Demi Moore) near the end of the 1990 movie “Ghost.” In this powerful scene, Sam speaks these words to Molly while being summoned to heaven after he was murdered.

We all know the parable of the rich man who decided to build bigger barns to accommodate all his stuff. He thought that, since he had accumulated so much wealth, he could just relax for the rest of his life. God called him a ‘fool’ and reminded him that he could die that night and then all of his belongings would be given away (Luke 12:13-21). The unasked question became, “Without all your belongings, what will you have to show for yourself? What will you have left to give to Me?”

We know that love – how well we love God by loving our neighbor – is more important than everything else. The challenge with this, in our consumer society, is as much about how much time and energy we put into accumulating our stuff and then congratulating ourselves for becoming ‘successful,’ as the man in the parable did, as about how much we have. It’s about how we may look down on those who are less ‘successful’ than we are. It’s also about how we may put people into categories and treat them according to our judgment of them.

The only thing we take with us is the love within our hearts and the love we’ve shown to others – all others. We’ve heard that many times. So maybe we can look at it from a different angle.

I can ask myself: 

-How much time do I give to God in prayer compared to the time I spend shopping? Maybe I can take a moment to thank God for the means to make that purchase. 

-How much do I spend on others compared to the amount I spend on myself? Maybe every time I buy an article of clothing for myself I can give one away. 

-It’s easy to converse with people who agree with my point of view. How willing am I to listen and try to understand someone who will vote differently from how I will – without condemning them for taking a different stand? 

-How do I treat my coworker whose lifestyle is different from mine? Maybe I need to remind myself that God loves that person as much as He loves me.

If we say that love is what’s most important and proclaim that our material goods don’t really matter, then let’s take a moment to examine if what we proclaim is consistent with how we live – and make changes where we’re falling short.

“Thus it will be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” – Luke 12:21

“Lord, let nothing take up space in my heart that cannot be given to 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 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.

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.

Celebrate and Give Thanks

The joy of June is upon us! 

It’s time for graduations, weddings, and summertime getaways. These momentous events let us celebrate hard-earned accomplishments, look with excitement to the future, and refresh our minds and bodies with relaxation and new adventures. Our degrees, our jobs, finding the love of our life, and the privilege of taking a vacation are sources of great pride and joy.  

When we have reason to celebrate, there are people we want to thank. Graduates, the bride and groom, and most young people who reach a milestone thank their parents for the countless ways they’ve supported them. Any time we celebrate reaching a goal or achieving something that’s important to us, we acknowledge the many people who helped us get to where we are.

While we’re celebrating, let’s remember to thank the Lord, too. All of our accomplishments were and are made possible by the power given to us from God our Creator. Thank Him for blessing us with our physical and mental abilities to explore, learn, and create. Thank Him for creating the people we love and all those who are celebrating with us. Thank Him for creating the world we travel around, with all its diversity. Thank Him for creating the people we meet, with their varied cultures that we learn from. 

While we’re taking our vacations, whether it’s a day trip or a far-off destination, let’s thank God for the gifts of nature, too. Let’s not only marvel at the tiny wildflowers and massive rock formations on the hiking trail but also thank God for creating them. Thank Him for the shady trees that bring relief from the heat, and the expansive vistas that take our breath away. Thank Him for creating the produce we buy at the farmer’s markets, and for the farmers who labored so we can enjoy it. Thank Him for creating the sandy beaches and the refreshing waters we swim in.  Thank Him for the gift of time to share with our friends and family.

Thank Him for everything that lets us celebrate and create happy memories with those we love. 

“So now consider what He has done for you, and praise Him with full voice.” – Tobit 13:6

“Thank You, Lord, for all you have given us!”

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/...

It's Not About Me

“Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.” –1 Corinthians 1:31

Our youngest child celebrated her 26th birthday this week. Of course, I remember the day well! I also remember the day before and the excitement leading up to her birth. Yet for me and most moms, when the child is born none of what happened before matters any more. We turn all our focus on the child. All the celebrating is for the child, and we thank God for her. Moms know, “It’s not about me.”

Think about what actors, musicians, and professional athletes say when they receive an award or win a game. They’re proud of their win and are also usually quick to thank their families, their teammates, and everyone else who helped them reach success. Some of them thank God for the talent that got them there. They don’t brag about themselves; they know, “It’s not just about me.”

We can adopt this same attitude regarding our achievements. Our Lord created each of us and gifted us with a particular set of skills and talents. He has placed people here to journey with us. We feel proud of our achievements, and we thank God for the opportunities, ability, and drive to achieve what we believe He wants us to at each stage of our life. We know we don’t do it on our own. 

We praise God for His gifts, thank Him for everything, and say, “It’s not about me.”

John the Baptist could have said, “It’s not about me.” John’s mission was to direct people to Jesus. He could humbly say he succeeded if all of his followers left him to follow Jesus. 

Jesus could have said, “It’s not about me.” Everything Christ did, He did to bring us closer to the Father. He praised the Father and thanked Him for hearing Him when He performed miracles. He didn’t do anything for His own glory. He showed us how to love as God loves: to sacrifice for each other, to show kindness even to those who aren’t kind to us, to love even those who don’t love us, and to forgive those who hurt us. Christ teaches us that imitating Him will bring us closer to the Father. He wants us to experience the Father’s immense Love and Peace.

Let’s follow these examples. Let’s give God credit for His gifts, His guidance, and His Love. When we celebrate any milestone or achievement, let’s turn our focus on Him, thank Him and say, “It’s not about me.”

“Thank You, Lord.”

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/...