-
Sabbath Devotional :: Weak Things Become Strong
Alma the younger is described as “a man of many words” who spoke “much flattery to the people.” As a young man, he “led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities” and he “became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church” (Mosiah 27:8-9). We know Alma’s miraculous and astounding conversion story. Following his conversion, he became the first chief judge in the newly established Nephite democracy. He continued in this position for only a few years until he stepped down to devote all of his time to his ministry. He chose to “preach the word of God” to his people, “seeing no way…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Friends of the Last Supper
My husband and I were teaching our little primary class a few weeks ago about the waters of Mormon. We asked what they had promised when they were baptized. “To be good and repent,” they said. What else? I pressed. “To take Jesus’ name up on us,” they replied. Anything else? Crickets. In fairness, their confusion makes sense. I think there is some tendency to talk about baptismal covenants in individual terms. Your sins are washed away. The Spirit will guide you in your life. It’s a step in your development of following Jesus’ example and hoisting yourself towards heaven. And that’s not inaccurate. But I think it is incomplete. If Alma’s sermon (which, for my money is…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: The Allegory of the Olive Tree
There have been times in my life where I have muttered the words, “Just burn it all down.” Of course I don’t mean in the literal sense that I would ever wish for anything to be lost to fire, but surely I am not the only person who has been in the thick of a personal trial and just needed a do over. Recently I was teaching about Jacob 5 and the Allegory of the Olive Tree, being reminded that every once in a while we require pruning and sometimes burning of branches, but our efforts are not worthless. In my personal vineyard I am able to have a clearer…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: What Do You Want to Tell God About?
Visiting my brother in Finland, we toured a historic church that had seen wars, plagues, and fires — its brochure noted that it “had been through tough times.” There, my four-year-old niece was intrigued by what looked like a bowl of marbles on a low table. When I came over, I saw this sign in three languages instructing worshippers on what to do with stones of each color: What do you want to tell God about? Place stones in the large bowl Like my niece, I suddenly had the urge to grab handfuls of each color stone. I had so many things I wanted to tell God about, on all…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Community
I think one of the most beautiful things about my faith tradition is the ways it embodies community. This week I was reading a social media post from a political/community organizer I follow who recently had a medical procedure, and they were mourning the lack of community in their life as they were dealing with their recovery and some of the limitations and hardships they were experiencing. I thought back to the many times my ward communities have shown up for me, from my ministering sisters bringing me dinner after I had a minor surgery a few years ago, to a bishopric member sending a thoughtful text to check in…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Daughter, Be of Good Comfort
This is a complicated holiday for so many of us. I remember leaving a Mother’s Day Sacrament Meeting many years ago after one of my miscarriages and crying in the car in the parking lot, clutching the potted geranium. You are not alone. And I’m guessing most of us have sorrows and heartaches and inadequacies that a flower or chocolate today won’t fix. What we thought would be happily ever after is hard. And what was meant to be a day to honor women ends up idealizing unmet expectations and highlighting perceived inadequacies. And even if it is not hard for you personally, it is a valuable opportunity to practice…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: I Will Just Be Me
When my daughter was little, she was drawing pictures during sacrament meeting. She drew a picture of a person wearing a cape. There was a word bubble that said, “I am a superhero. But I do not know how to be a superhero, so I am just be me.” Despite the glaring grammatical error, I thought that was profound, especially considering that she drew the picture on Mother’s Day. I had never seen such a perfect representation of motherhood, or womanhood in general. Those who praise women often make them out to be superheroes, saints, or angels. But back here on earth, women everywhere are saying, “I do not know…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: From Grave to Garden
Earlier this month, I had an opportunity to attend a craft workshop on the Japanese art form of kintsugi, which involves gluing broken pottery back together and coloring the cracks with gold paint. Smashing a perfectly new white bowl with a hammer felt wrong, but the process of fitting the pieces in, repairing it, gluing it, painting it, and decorating it with gold flourishes, making an even more beautiful bowl, was very satisfying. The flaws and faults and broken parts are redeemed into an even better creation. God promises a similar redemption to each of us. I love the line in the hymn How Firm a Foundation: “The rivers of…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Eclipsed Expectations
This month, I joined millions of Americans in an effort to encounter the celestial: watching the total solar eclipse. The experience wasn’t what I expected; it was beautiful, but I couldn’t help feeling FOMO (fear of missing out), disappointed that it had been better for other people at other locations. This ambivalence can characterize many of our heavenly encounters. With the renewed emphasis on the temple at General Conference, how we can approach our interactions with the heavens with an eye towards gratitude, grace, and God? I missed the 2017 eclipse, but that increased my desire to see this one. Plotting maps years ago, Austin, Texas looked like a good…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Parental Love
I have always loved these verses in Matthew 7: 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? As I move through the world, I am constantly reminded of the gifts of loving Heavenly parents and of their care and concern for me. Often I feel God’s love through the beauty and solace…
