ACCORDING TO ZAC

I’ve been reading a Mormon site called By Common Consent . It’s generally a place for honest introspection and spiritual questioning without disparaging anyone on either side of the theological issues facing Mormonism. I just read one article about the legacy of President Thomas S. Monson, who passed away in January. The author suggested that a lot of the big controversies the Church was involved in over the last several years might not have really been spearheaded by President Monson, and that he’s getting a bad rap for being the figurehead of the modern Church at the time that these situations were unfolding. Perusing the comments of articles such as these can prove dangerous. People say terrible things about our beliefs and about each other, depending on the site you might be looking at. The last thing I want is some online troll causing me to question my faith. I can do that all on my own without a stranger’s help. In a shocking twist, however, I was uplifted by one ...

“Hey, will you buy me a sandwich?” the stranger said as I stepped out of the crosswalk and up onto the sidewalk. I hadn’t seen him there, not because I was intentionally disregarding him for any reason, but because I had just come out of the post office and was deciding which way was best to walk back to work during my lunch break. Several things went through my mind really quickly.   First: "I don’t really feel like I have room in my budget to be buying lunch. I intentionally skipped lunch today, both for money and fitness reasons."  Then: "This reminds me of an experience Jenna had, and the way she handled it was so inspiring.   I should emulate that." And last: "The man at the post office just wished me a Merry Christmas as I left the counter. What kind of Christian do I want to be?" This man wasn’t dirty and disheveled like many homeless people, but he wore mismatched clothes and carried nothing with him. The longing in his voi...