Happy Thanksgiving!

 

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” –Psalm 150:6

There’s magic in the air this time of year, and I’m not talking about preparing for Christmas. It’s the transformation that happens in nature: of green trees revealing their hidden reds, oranges, and yellows and, as autumn gives way to winter, of sparkling snow and bare tree branches glistening against the crystal blue sky. My husband and I are fortunate to live within a few minutes’ drive of both Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit Metro Parks; we hike one of their many trails nearly every weekend. I smile as our boots crunch the fallen leaves or I spot a woodpecker gliding from one tree to the next. As I take in the hills, streams, and rock formations of these gorgeous trails, I’m continuously awed by the immense beauty of this world that God created for us. It’s easy to understand the psalmist’s proclamation that everything in creation gives praise to God.  

During this magical time of Thanksgiving, let our Lord speak to you through the sunny autumn skies, the tree branches reaching to the heavens, and the blanket of snow insulating all that will grow from the ground next spring. See the rivers, lakes, birds and rocks as the gifts they are: wonders created by God out of His love for you. Let Him speak to you as you celebrate the blessings of a home, a meal, and those priceless gifts we call family and friends. If you’re grieving or struggling, if ‘celebrate’ is the last thing you feel like doing, let our Lord speak His love to irreplaceable YOU through the people around you who wrap you in their love and appreciation.

May you hold in the depths of your soul a Spirit of Gratitude that is deeper, richer, and more joyful than a mental ‘attitude of gratitude.’

May your heart be filled this Thanksgiving with happiness and peace.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.” –Psalm 136:1

 "Lord, thank You for all Your blessings."

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/...

 

Where Is God?

 

 

“Had not the Lord been with us,

Let Israel say,

Had not the Lord been with us,

When people rose against us,

They would have swallowed us alive…

Blessed be the Lord, Who did not leave us…

Our help is the name of the Lord,

The maker of heaven and earth.”

 --Psalm 124:1-3, 6, 8

 

Hear the gratitude, relief, and joy expressed by the Israelites. The Lord stayed with them and helped them when they needed it most. “Had not the Lord been with us...”  They knew He had been with them from the beginning. He was with them when all was well, and He was already there when their troubles started. We may not know all the details of their struggles or how He saved them, but it’s clear they recognized and celebrated that God was with them through their difficulties. 

Where is God now, thousands of years later?

God lives in you; His love created you. He is, He has been, and He will be with you -- and everyone else – always, when days are easy and when they’re difficult. Maybe we don’t have enemies like the Israelites did, but we do have troubles; they’re part of life. God doesn’t promise that difficulties won’t happen. What He does promise is to be with us before, during, and after these storms. God promises to stay with us and help us grow toward a place of peace.  

God loved everyone and everything into being. Look around and see that He’s everywhere, loving you and caring for you. He’s in your friend who makes you laugh and eases your pain for a while. He’s in the child who hugs you and makes your heart swell with joy. He’s in your doctor, nurse, and other medical providers who speak kind words to you. He created the sun, and so He’s with you when you rest outside and let His sunshine warm you.

God lives in you so that you can show His love to the people around you, too. The love you share may be the answer to someone’s prayer. He’s in the compassion that moves you to look out for your neighbors before, during, and after a natural disaster. He’s there when you cuddle with a frightened child. He’s with you, listening, when you ask Him to bless or heal your loved ones. He inspires you to help those in need: to bring meals, or babysit, or drive to appointments, or just sit with the person you care about and offer a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.

Look and see that God is everywhere. See His presence in the beauty of creation, in the people around you, and in the stirrings of your heart. God is with you, always has been with you, and always will be with you.

“Help me recognize Your presence all around me, Lord. Fill me with the desire to draw closer to You.”

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/...

What We Long For

 

What We Long For

 “He longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.”

–Luke 15:16

The verse above is found in the story that traditionally has been called The Prodigal Son, The Lost Son, or The Forgiving Father. This parable holds many lessons for us; here’s one to consider:

We’re given details indicating that the father was wealthy. The younger son asked for his share of his inheritance while his father was still alive (see Luke 15:12) and ‘set off to a distant country’ (v. 13). While it was cruel to essentially tell his father he wished his father were dead, his wanting to get away from home isn’t much different from our own desires to move out on our own, travel and explore. He wanted to see what the rest of the world was like and how the people out there lived. Although he had everything he needed, he longed for something different and thought he would find it if he had the freedom to get out.

This verse makes it clear that, after a time, he found himself unhappy, starving, and alone. His new ‘friends’ left him when he ran out of money. Even the detested pigs ate better than he did. He had thought that getting ‘out there’ and away from his father would make him happy, but any happiness he experienced was short-lived.

Sometimes we, too, look outside ourselves for happiness, peace, and love. We mistakenly think that there is such a thing as a ‘perfect’ job, house, or spouse. We think we’ll be happy if only we could find it and may spend a lifetime chasing after it.

Augustine of Hippo once said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Nothing on earth can satisfy this longing in our hearts because what we’re longing for is Perfect Love and Perfect Peace – God Himself. Until we meet Him in eternity, we will find only glimpses of this Love and Peace here on earth.

God is love. He lives in you; He’s everywhere you are. Open your eyes to His presence. Allow Him to draw you closer to Himself and to fill your heart with more and more of His love. How? Some people take a moment each morning to write down three things they’re grateful for. Some sit outside or by a window and thank God for showing His love through nature. Some turn to the psalms or other Scripture passages for reminders of His love.

When you feel restless, remember that God created you. He designed you to long for Him -- Perfect Peace and Perfect Love. When you open your heart to His love and see Him all around you, you’ll get a glimpse of the joy and peace that awaits you in eternity.

“Lord, draw me closer to You. My heart will be restless until I rest in You.”

 

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/...