Taking Care of Your Plant

Yesterday Ruckus was helping me prepare the visual aid for my Young Womens Lesson on How Can I Gain a Testimony?

He planted a seed in a cup with soil and sat it down, staring at it.

"Mom, It's not growing," he said sounding a little taken a back.

"Sweetheart, it takes time."

Deep exhale from the three year old, and then more staring ensues.

"Mom, It's still not growing!"

Being taken a back - has now turned to utter devastation.

"Buddy, all we have is a seed, we have to wait for it to grow. It takes water and sunlight and checking in on it everyday. Be patient. If we do our part it will grow."

His response was perfect in comparison to Alma 32 where Alma asks the people to try an experiment -all it requires is just a particle of faith. Just a tiny bit. And then he asks the people to use that tiny particle to help them discover if the "word" (gospel) is true.

He compares the "word" to a seed and if what they are hearing feels good - will they be willing to hear more in order to allow that seed to grow?

Alma uses the adjective delicious.

Once we feel the delicious-ness of the Holy Ghost confirming the gospel is true what happens next?

Well, it takes time -

we have to continue studying, praying, and checking in on that tiny seed of a testimony everyday so it will continue to grow.

We have to be patient. 

We have to take care of our plant.

Everyday.

We can't only rely on spiritual confirmings of the past.

Or, our plant will die.

And everything we felt that allowed the little seed to grow in the first place will be forgotten.

I asked the girls I was teaching to think about if they had a testimony?

If so, how did you plan on keeping it?

If not,-

do you want one -

and how will you get it?

I encouraged them to bear their testimonies to someone this week.

Sometimes that's all it takes to remind you, you have one.

I have a testimony of the gospel. What this means is that the Holy Ghost has confirmed to me, many times, by a pure feeling of deliciousness that it is true. That Heavenly Father knows and loves us and his son Jesus Christ is my brother; that he died for my sins and yours. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and we have a living prophet on earth today who leads and directs us. I love our sweet men who lead this church.

That's the foundation of my testimony my friends.

My testimony started out with a sliver of hope and has grown impeccably -

with a little work everyday -

I'm taking care of my plant.