By Seth Bryant of Kirtland, Ohio USA
God is calling for a prophetic community to emerge, drawn from the nations of the world, that is characterized by uncommon devotion to the compassion and peace of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Through divine grace and wisdom, this faith community has been given abundant gifts, resources, and opportunities to equip it to become such a people.
Every time we take a hike as a family, I have a teenager who tells me, “I don’t like nature. I like technology.”
And I remind him, “You are part of nature.”
The universe about us is a miracle, but the mundane details of life can blind us to the miraculous. Our minds tend to focus on past mistakes or future tasks. When this happens, we miss the beauty of the present moment and fail to see our interconnectedness with the universe, with the miraculous. This disconnect is not healthy for our souls.
The great teacher Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us to be mindful of the miraculous in everyday life. Of his teachings, based on the life story of Buddha, my favorite is his call to awareness whenever we eat a tangerine.
An aware person can see the tangerine tree, the tangerine blossom in the spring, the sunlight and rain which nourished the tangerine. Looking deeply, one can see ten thousand things which have made the tangerine possible. Looking at a tangerine, a person who practices awareness can see all the wonders of the universe and how all things interact with one another (Old Path White Clouds, Parallax Press, 1991).
Pause. Breathe. Notice. The miraculous is all around us.
Prayer Phrase
“In his hand is the life of every living thing” (Job 12:10).
Trees
Watch the trees outside your window for a few moments. Close your eyes and meditate on Alma’s words about seeds and trees. If you were to plant and grow the Word of God in your heart, what tree might symbolically represent this process? Imagine a seed as it grows into a tree of life and blessing. Ask God to show you how to begin (see Alma 16:152–173).
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.