Saturday, September 6

By Cindy L. Korf of North Platte, Nebraska, USA

This covenant entails sacramental living that respects and reveals God’s presence and reconciling activity in creation… especially those devoted to asserting the worth of persons, protecting the sacredness of creation, and relieving physical and spiritual suffering.

—Doctrine and Covenants 164:9c

Generosity is something we cannot measure. It keeps going beyond the original gift, beyond the time the giver can imagine.

In my job, victims of crime come into my office every day. They come in pain, misery, hurt, guilt, and confusion. I had a fishbowl on my desk and noticed how the fish and the water had a calming effect on the people who visited me. But, my fish kept dying. I finally decided to do away with the fish, though many of my visitors would watch them as they told their stories.

I mentioned to my friend the problem I had with keeping the fish alive, and that I no longer had them. I told her I wasn’t planning to get more. A week later she appeared at my office with an aquarium—complete with heater, filter, light, gravel, plants, fish food, and fish.

Her generosity went beyond the gift she gave to me. This gift continues giving joy each day. It blesses the people who come into my office, looking for sanctuary and peace.

When we cast our bread upon the waters,

we can presume that someone downstream

whose face we may never see

will benefit from our action,

even as we enjoy the gifts sent to us

from a donor upstream

—Maya Angelou

Prayer for Peace Creator God, help us look beyond the horizon and see how the gift we give today will minister tomorrow; how the peace we plant today will grow in years to come.

Spiritual Practice: Generous Offerings Spend time meditating on the act of giving an offering. Begin by asking God for the spirit of generosity. Pray and reflect with these questions: How do I feel when I bring my offering to a worship setting and share it? What deep reasons motivate me to give? What is my best understanding of A Disciple’s Generous Response? Considering my financial circumstances, do I feel I am giving to my true capacity? In other words, am I giving the amount I am capable of giving without risking the needs and well-being of my family? Is God asking me to be more generous? How will I respond?

Peace Covenant Today, God, I will look at gifts I have received, and how I can use them for future