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Sabbath Devotional :: Because They Are Ours
Sunflowers are my favorite flower. This is the first sunflower I have ever planted, and it came up a few weeks ago in my curbside garden. It was supposed to be rust colored and fuller. It was not supposed to look like this is all, but it does not matter, I love it because it is mine. About the time this sunflower came up, my husband and I became empty nesters for the first time in 27 years. Our adult children have bounced in and out of our upstairs apartment, together or separately, as they have dealt with the pandemic, finances, mental illness, difficult losses, and physical illness. Right now,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Opening Doors and Hearts Through Curiosity and Compassion
I value maintaining curiosity and compassion for people with a wide spectrum of viewpoints. The gift of curiosity to understand more deeply starts with a desire to understand. The Book of Mormon prophet Alma taught, “if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, . . . even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you” (Alma 32:27). Proverbs encourages curiosity: “incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;” (Proverbs 2:2). I desire to incline my ear and apply my heart to understanding by listening to diverse perspectives, especially among those within the Christian world and the Church of Jesus Christ…
