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Sabbath Devotional :: Fruits of the Spirit
“Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! . . . Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (2 Nephi 15:20, 23) A speaker recently quoted that passage in my sacrament meeting. I started contemplating how we often extol bad behaviors if we believe it makes us or “our side” achieve something desirable and I was drawn to these verses in Galatians: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; . . . Idolatry, . . . hatred,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Hope
Retaining hope is no easy matter, no light thing, no half-hearted wish-making. It is love in action. It is showing up again and again. Hope is not immune to sorrow or disappointment nor setbacks or defeat. Hope has never been the easy way out. It is the harder path but a necessary one. Hope requires a deep commitment to love and justice. Hope requires steadfastness and the ability to weather storms. Hope permeates movements even when people know their efforts may seem futile and may not yield the desired fruits. Those who retain hope even in the most hopeless of situations know that such efforts are necessary if we are…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Tender Mercies
For much of the last week, I got about 5 hours of sleep a night due to a couple of intense weeks in my grad program. On Friday, we had a planned site visit to study the location where we’ll be designing projects for class throughout the semester, and I had volunteered to drive several classmates for the morning visit before our full day of class. I usually utilize public transit or walk to and from school, but due to the nature of some of my assignments, I had previously run a couple of errands further afield during the week and noticed the tire pressure light had come on in…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Making Ready
A long, long time ago (in the early 1990s), my friend told me that she thought the environmentalist movement was unnecessary because when Jesus comes back, the earth will be renewed and all will be well. Recently, my husband and I were talking with a group of strangers when the conversation turned to the lamentable state of politics in America. One woman commented that it’s all so hopeless, but she finds peace knowing that when Jesus returns, all will be made right. I have heard other such statements from believing and faithful members of our church. They are good people who find themselves in a difficult situation. They know that…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Loaves and (Gold)Fishes
Abbie is officially a nursery graduate! I could gush for a good long while about how my last baby is growing up way too fast, but I want to take a little different direction with this post today.For the last 28 months, when I’ve dropped Abbie off at nursery, probably half of the time she has been the ONLY child there. Our ward is small and just doesn’t have very many kids her age. So for over two years, two wonderful nursery workers were often tasked with caring for a single child. My child.Did I sometimes feel a twinge of guilt knowing that two adults were missing out on class…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Danger of a Single Story
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of my favorite thinkers, and one of her most well-known pieces is a talk she gave called “The Danger of a Single Story.” She discussed how powerful stories are — how they influence identity and belief systems, how we see the world, and how they help us learn empathy. She also warned us against the danger of a single story: “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” I think about this all the time. What stories am I telling about me? About my…
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Sabbath Devotional :: An Eye of Faith
For several decades the orchestra conductor Benjamin Zander has taught music to young people in various youth conservatories. On the first day of class he makes a promise and a request to his students: “Your grade for the year is an A with this condition: write me a letter in the first two weeks of the course, dated at the end of the year saying “Dear Mr. Zander, I got my A because _____,” outlining what you will be doing by then. Then fall in love with and believe that person.” He asks the students to behave as though they already have an A and trust the process from there. Zander…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Bells of December
I love the sequence of holidays in December — we celebrate Christmas, and then one week later, the arrival of the New Year. Our Christmas celebrations allow us to ponder the miraculous birth of our Savior and His miraculous life and mission that followed. This opportunity to ponder on Jesus Christ and His life lead straight into New Year’s, when we consider the coming year and typically resolve to improve and do better in our lives. The Savior’s example is our best guide as to how we ought to live and that we can ponder the greater meaning of these holidays in tandem shines a new light on the opportunity…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Journey to Bethlehem
There is so much that I love about the Christmas story. I love the humbleness and innocence, the inconvenience and chaos, the hope and promise. Such an unlikely gathering of people. Mary and Joseph alone in a stable with shepherds and angels in a nearby field and later three kings from a far away place. Over the years, I have identified with many of the players in the story. I have been the new mother, tired and bewildered but in love with my infant. I have been the good shepherd, abiding with my little flock — feeding them, keeping them warm and safe and counting them every night. I have…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Star of Bethlehem
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2). The star of Bethlehem is one of my favorite Christmas images. I love the symbolism of light and I think the single star shining brighter than all the rest is beautiful in its simplicity. Although, I’ve been wondering if I imagine it wrong. Herod had not noticed a star. He was not the only one who…
