-
Sabbath Devotional :: Love One Another — But How?
Last Sunday, I was re-reading the April 2020 General Conference talks. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has always been one of my favorite speakers. His talk: A Perfect Brightness of Hope was special. This section stood out to me: “We pray for those who have lost loved ones in this modern plague, as well as for those who are currently infected or at risk. We certainly pray for those who are giving such magnificent health care. When we have conquered this — and we will — may we be equally committed to freeing the world from the virus of hunger, freeing neighborhoods and nations from the virus of poverty. May we…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Light on the Path
Everybody has a superpower. Mine is pretty straightforward, and it can best be described as an ability to see around corners. So the last few months have been incredibly disorienting for me, because not only am I unable to see around corners, I cannot even seem to see five feet in front of me. And frankly, I’ve been struggling with this. During those same months, I, like many of you, have also been experiencing a very unusual degree of isolation. Some of that isolation is straightforward — my abundant and complex life narrowed overnight. But there is another layer. I am discovering that many more people than I had previously…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Learn, Love, Act
During this time of COVID, our empty nest has expanded with four other people in the house since March — a baby and a three-year-old and their parents who both have full time jobs in DC. Our son and daughter-in-law manage their careers remotely from our place in the West, and we all spend segments of the day with the littles. We are all healthy. All things considered, for the worst of times, this is the best of times. Despite the lovely landmarks like first teeth, learning to count to 100, and Sunday home church when we share the sacrament, I admit that I still feel unsettled, unfocused, subpar, and…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Accepting the Wilderness
Several weeks ago, I found unexpected comfort in the words of Amulek. They came at the end of his sermon on prayer, the one where he tells the people to pray everywhere — in their fields and houses, over their crops and flocks, for protection from their enemies and Satan. And then he says: ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness (Alma 34:26). It’s that last phrase that caught me: your wilderness. He uses it so casually that I hadn’t noticed it before. Wilderness, whatever. But this time it stopped me cold. Wilderness. That is the word that I started following in…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: The Gift of Discernment
There have been many times in my life when I have been wrong about things. But there was one time in particular when I was really wrong about something, and it resulted in a lot of pain and personal anguish. I was deceived. I put my trust in the wrong person and listened to the wrong voices. I did eventually arrive at a place of clarity and truth, but damage had already been done and it was not an easy thing for me to recover from. Although it was painful, this experience taught me many valuable lessons that have continued to help me as I have moved forward. Many of…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Traveling Along the Path
My husband and I love road trips. I think back to just a year ago when I traveled with my husband and some of our family members freely about the country. This, after three years of serving a mission. We had been set apart working with the missionaries in the Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, and lower South Carolina area. We traveled at least two weeks out of the month, working with our missionaries. We spoke in wards and branches and at conferences across the mission. Every six weeks we drove 1.5 hours transporting departing missionaries and picking up incoming ones. You would think we would have felt traveled out! But there…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Good Inspiration is Based upon Good Information
For a few months I have wanted to share a particular story with all of you, but wasn’t quite sure why. It is deeply personal so I wanted to be very careful in my telling. Then this week, I have felt pulled to write a devotional about personal revelation and things started to come together. As you will see, my story is an example of what NOT to do, but I also hope to share some of the wisdom that was granted to me as I worked through my weakness. In this talk from the April 2018 General Conference, President Nelson said: “…good inspiration is based upon good information.” He…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Of Peacemaking and Piglets
The Third Principle of Peacemaking reads: Peacemaking demands great tolerance for people and none for injustice. This is so hard. I’m tempted to think it’s impossible. With the news this week of the commutation of Roger Stone’s sentence, a scripture has reverberated in my head: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Is that true? In whose court? Under what authority? Day after day the onslaught continues. Which government appointee is just a toady for another one higher up? Which elected official takes our trust and swaps it for prestige, influence, protection or money? (It has been said,…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: An Eye of Faith
Several years ago, during an especially difficult time of my life, I was reading in Alma 5 when a phrase from verse 15 jumped out at me: Do you look forward with an eye of faith? At that time in my life, “looking forward with an eye of faith” meant believing my current difficult situation was not permanent. It meant trusting that things could and would improve. It meant holding on to hope instead of yielding to despair. Asking myself that question reminded me to shift my focus from fear to faith. In the years since, this question has come to my mind at different times, prompting reflection and acting…
-
Sabbath Devotional :: Planting Seeds
A couple of years ago I attended a Relief Society lesson with a relative while I was visiting from out of state. I can’t remember for sure, but I think the lesson was on the talk A Plea to My Sisters by President Nelson. What I do distinctly remember is the electric feeling in the room as all of us, including me, a stranger, got excited about the possibility of the Lord needing us — his sisters — to do his work. I also remember thinking: But what exactly should I do? The good news is that having that feeling — of wanting to help God with his work and…
