By Nina Warriner of Bath, New York USA

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

At a women’s retreat one fall we were asked to take a contemplative walk—to be mindful of what we saw, what we heard, and what we felt. I have frequently been drawn to grand scenes of nature—the rolling hillsides, the crashing waterfall, the colorful sky. But for this walk, I decided to look deeper, seeking out smaller signs of life. I noticed white speckles scattered deep underneath a bush. I ended up getting down on my hands and knees, crawling under the bush, to see what they were. I was surprised and captivated by what I saw—tiny, white mushrooms with delicately carved grooves on their caps. These tiny fungi were a beautiful sight to behold.

We are called to look beyond the surface of others, to go deep and experience one another in a real and vulnerable way. In doing so, we may experience things that at first glance seem undesirable—such as fungus. However, when we seek to build relationships founded in the love of Christ, we find the beauty in the fungus and uncover the holy within each other.

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.