I started knitting as a way to do something relaxing. But in those early days it was far from a peaceful hobby. I worried about dropping stitches and getting the yarn in knots. My stitches were tight, leaving barely enough room for the other needle to enter the loops. Total focus was required.

In business, politics, or our personal lives, instant gratification continually confronts us, and usually in the form of willful attempts to win the day with too little regard for tomorrow's consequences. Michael Burry, physician, hedge-fund manager, and a predictor of the economic collapse of 2008, addressed the 2012 University of California, Los Angeles, graduating class in economics. He said: "[M]any if not most people will do questionable things that obviously make money and earn respect from common peers....

Graduations are Life-affirming exactly because they are proofs of progress. This is a reason to rejoice! As we pause to acknowledge these outward manifestations of lessons mastered and advancing stages of growth, we need to remember the divine underpinnings of it all.

Lots of media attention has been focused on economic crises in the United States lately – from the fiscal cliff to the “sequester” to the debt ceiling. Pundits and politicians are concerned about what will happen to the economy as tax cuts expire or as spending cuts kick in. But while it’s important to understand what’s happening in the news, we can also rely on our universal Father-Mother, God, to tell us where our true source of supply comes from.

A new book titled “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, is prompting much discussion. It focuses on the challenges women face in the corporate arena and how women can best be visible, impactful, and effective. As healthy dialogue continues about Ms. Sandberg’s views, much can be appreciated about the importance of bringing one’s talents and inspired leadership into the world of work. While there are indeed helpful strategies for finding work, advancing our careers, or achieving “best fit” job alignment, many people find that more than human effort and analysis is required – that God’s guidance and wisdom are needed. And for this, we must lean up.

Recent events – the Boston Marathon bombings, the escape of three women from years of captivity in a Cleveland neighborhood, and other happenings – have sounded alarm bells for citizens of all ages. The questions are, How can we be more alert to signs of trouble and respond in ways that can help prevent or correct harmful situations? And what can we do to help children and adolescents think and act in ways that will keep themselves and others safe?

Participation in Sunday sports is often cited as an important aspect of the “secularization of Sunday,” one reason that church attendance has declined in recent years. For many, Sunday is no longer so much about church but about soccer, baseball, football, basketball, etc. Spending such time on fitness is thought by many to be a legitimate Sunday morning activity, apparently because of the prevailing belief that sports are good for you.

Have you ever noticed how quickly a child can “move on”? How completely and immediately children turn from something they don’t understand toward what they can understand? How bravely they trust! How fully they surrender to those who care for them. How simple their love. This is no accident. They come programmed for this kind of love; totally prepared to express and embody trust and innocence. And guess what? It’s the same for you.

One can’t help feeling moved by the plight of the three women in Cleveland who were kidnapped and held captive for years and the young girl who was born during the ordeal. Despite the horror of their circumstances, the relief that they are now free has washed over them and their families – and all who were engaged in the search.

As consumers, we naturally try to get what we need for lower prices. But the collapse of the garment factory in Bangladesh April 24, in which safety was sacrificed for profit, resulting in the loss of more than 750 lives, sheds light on our search for the “best buy.” What can average consumers do to protest the greed and injustice that can lead to this kind of tragedy?