Daily Bread August 29

Glitter for God
Deb Crowley of Urbandale, IA, USA


Heed the urgent call to become a global family united in the name of the Christ, committed in love to one another, seeking the kingdom for which you yearn and to which you have always been summoned. That kingdom shall be a peaceable one and it shall be known as Zion. -Doctrine and Covenants 161:6b

It was a simple gesture with an amazing lesson.

When my dear aunt passed after a short stay in hospice, I was asked to officiate at the celebration of life service. In preparation, I read her memory books and listened to her family and friends relate stories of the impact of her life. My own heart was overwhelmed with loss because she had become like a second mother to me. I loved her deeply. So how do you pull together a service to honor a woman who was not a saint, but who deeply loved so many?

She was an extremely creative lady. She didn’t just learn a craft; she indulged 150% and mastered any craft she learned-from sewing, knitting, crocheting, and macrame to ceramics and paper crafting. And she loved teaching what she learned.

Paper crafting was her final and most prolific gift. She made beautifully designed cards and mailed hundreds every year. She was dubbed the “glitter” queen as most every card had to have a spot of glimmer. I made her a sweatshirt that said, “She who trails glitter is never forgotten.” It’s true-the cards brought smiles and warmed hearts year after year. People were remembered.

While recounting her many artistic talents, I asked persons at the service to raise their hands if they had ever received a card from Bev. All hands were raised! You could almost hear an audible “Ahhh!” Those gathered did not necessarily know each other. Yet all of us were bound together by receiving simple cards of remembrance from one special lady. In that single moment we experienced community.

So it is with the Divine. Christ is our foundation, the one commonality that brings circles of humanity together in oneness. Walls break down, division ends, love abounds. Grief turns to joy as love expressed showers everyone. Amazing grace! The lesson? Tune in to the Divine, build community in the most unlikely places, and let the Holy Spirit spread the “glitter” of God’s grace wherever we go.

Prayer Phrase

“… the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).

Spiritual Practice

Breathing God’s Compassion

Pay attention to your breathing and let it become calmer and deeper as you focus on God’s presence. Ask God to breathe in you. Imagine each breath carrying the light of God into your lungs, bloodstream, and every cell in your body until God’s Spirit fills you. Now imagine breathing out God’s compassion and grace each time you exhale, especially into places and situations in need of loving care. Give thanks to the Spirit, source of every breath, source of life. 

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.

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