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Sabbath Devotional :: A Christian Paradox: on Jesus and Economics
I’ve been thinking about the Zoramites, which has me thinking of Jesus and economics. Christ took upon himself our sins, sorrows, and suffering so that he could succor us. This is supposed to be a source of consolation and relief. But alas! Not long before fulfilling all righteousness, Christ tasked us with the immense responsibility of caring for his people — specifically the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, because Christ has made himself in their image. Christ’s injunction to care for the least of these puts into our laps the whole told and untold suffering of the world. And that is a mighty…
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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…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Advocate
As I stood to exit a meeting at the school, the teacher said, “Your daughter is lucky to have you as her advocate.” Advocate. The word caught my attention. In that situation, I was teaming up with teachers and administrators whose purpose was to help my daughter be successful. Her success was a shared goal. But without my advocacy, they wouldn’t have known how to help. As I drove home, I dwelt on the word advocate. One of Christ’s titles is Advocate. This title makes me feel especially loved by him. In the Doctrine and Covenants, Christ says, “Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Master Peacemaker’s Diverse Responses to Conflict
As a mediator and disciple of Christ, I have often reflected on Jesus Christ’s varied approaches to conflict. He did not merely “turn the other cheek” or “agree with [an] adversary quickly” every time he was faced with disagreement or difference. Sometimes we oversimplify the Savior’s teachings about conflict resolution and miss opportunities to create peace. As “the way, the truth, and the life,” I believe Jesus would like us to learn from all of his life experiences and teachings to create more nuanced and diverse approaches to peacemaking. As Eva Witesman wrote in a 2017 Deseret News op-ed on peacemaking, “When I make peace, I want to build it.…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Lead, Kindly Light
My grandpa passed away a couple weeks ago. Of course, given the current circumstances, we couldn’t gather as a family to mourn his passing and celebrate his life (though we did “gather” via Zoom). But over these past few weeks I’ve felt comfort from the words of his favorite hymn, which have been playing on an almost perpetual loop in my mind: Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;Lead thou me on!The night is dark, and I am far from home;Lead thou me on!Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to seeThe distant scene — one step enough for me. For reasons both global and personal, I have felt almost…
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Sabbath Devotional :: His Grace Is Sufficient (Even When We Are Not)
This fall, our stake leaders made a great effort to prepare members to receive personal revelation at the upcoming stake conference. A member of the Seventy would be presiding at the conference, and he had recommended four general conference talks for us to study beforehand. Stake members received these talks in advance on a Sunday when high councilors spoke in sacrament meetings about the blessings of attending stake conference. Wards reached out to help organize babysitting so parents could attend the Saturday evening session. We were asked to prayerfully come with personal questions — with the promise that they would be answered. We were supported and encouraged in making ourselves…
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Sabbath Devotional :: He Came, Not to Judge, but to Save
Last week, at a Relief Society activity on mental health, I found myself asking an expert what we are supposed to do with warranted but overwhelming sadness. As I mentioned how difficult it is lately to be even remotely aware of the news without feeling a deep sense of mourning, I noticed other women around the room nodding their heads in agreement. Our expert provided some good tips about the importance of self-care and then moved on to the next question. Throughout the rest of the week, I have been thinking about how I could apply her tips while also trying to manage a very hectic week, attend to my…
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Sabbath Devotional :: To Love as the Savior Loves
I attended the adult session of stake conference tonight. Elder R. Scott Runia of the Seventy was there. He brought us greetings from our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and shared with us what he characterized, with great emotion, as “probably the last message I will hear directly from his lips.” What our prophet said to Elder Runia and the others leaders in attendance at that meeting was this: “Brethren, we need to prepare the Saints for the Second Coming. We all need to be better. We need to love more as the Savior loves.” Love. That is how, according to the living prophet of God, we need to prepare…
