Day 8: Today I planted a garden! While I was doing so I had a thought that helped me understand faith a little clearer than in the past. So, this will serve as both a sharing my life post and your lent challenge spiritual thought.
WARNING: This one is long (yes, even longer than the rest). I'm sorry.
My parents always had a garden in our backyard. So anytime this year comes around I just get a really bad gardening itch. It is almost torture for someone who lives in an apartment. Last year I managed to grow some very lovely herbs on my back porch, a nice gateway apartment garden, but like a drug addict this year I just needed something more- something bigger. So, Andrew and I built a little box with a little more depth and a little more space than my little pots had. Today I filled it up with dirt and planted some seeds hoping that they will grow and dreading that nothing will happen in all that dirt I put back there back there.
Among the worrying dialogue I had going on in my head about how these seeds weren't going to grow, but how I really wanted them to grow- I also had some background music. Anytime I so much as think about planting, gardening, or anything even slightly related I inevitably get these lyrics stuck in my head from my primary days: "Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grooooowww!" Realizing this was going on I kind of chuckled and thought to myself "Planting seeds certainly does take a lot of faith, that's for sure." Then I thought "That's exactly right. It does take a lot of faith to plant a seed and hope that it will grow into something. Faith really is like a little seed." Not that I ever doubted the song- all primary songs speak the truth- it just kind of became real for me today.
Then I started thinking about Alma 32 (I lied I do know more scripture references off the top of my head other than Alma 7:11). Where he talks about faith and hope. In verse 21 he says:
"And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
I really don't know if my little seeds are going to get enough sun to grow back there. I don't have a "perfect knowledge" of what is going to happen in that dirt. I do, however, have hope. I have enough hope that I spent time with my husband planning out the dimensions of the box. We had enough hope that we actually went out and built the box, bought dirt and seeds and today I had enough hope that something would happen that I planted those seeds. I had enough hope to at least try and I'm going to keep watering that dirt until I see something start to grow... or it ends up being the middle of July and nothing is there.
That's faith. Hope enough to try, desire enough to believe. Those are the little seeds that Alma asks us to plant in our hearts.
Now, I really don't know if my garden is going to grow back there- there is no guarantee or promise that came with those seeds like that of God's words, but when we talk about faith in God we are promised that our seeds will grow as long as we continue to nurture the seed of hope and desire that we have planted into our hearts.
Nurturing takes action, it means going out and doing something that will help that faith grow. Read the scriptures, pray, and then live as the scriptures say to live and do as the spirit directs and your faith will grow and you will come to know God.
Plan your box, build it, fill it up with dirt, plant some seeds in it (make sure it gets enough sun), water them, weed them, and watch them grow.#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014 (4 photos)
WARNING: This one is long (yes, even longer than the rest). I'm sorry.
My parents always had a garden in our backyard. So anytime this year comes around I just get a really bad gardening itch. It is almost torture for someone who lives in an apartment. Last year I managed to grow some very lovely herbs on my back porch, a nice gateway apartment garden, but like a drug addict this year I just needed something more- something bigger. So, Andrew and I built a little box with a little more depth and a little more space than my little pots had. Today I filled it up with dirt and planted some seeds hoping that they will grow and dreading that nothing will happen in all that dirt I put back there back there.
Among the worrying dialogue I had going on in my head about how these seeds weren't going to grow, but how I really wanted them to grow- I also had some background music. Anytime I so much as think about planting, gardening, or anything even slightly related I inevitably get these lyrics stuck in my head from my primary days: "Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grooooowww!" Realizing this was going on I kind of chuckled and thought to myself "Planting seeds certainly does take a lot of faith, that's for sure." Then I thought "That's exactly right. It does take a lot of faith to plant a seed and hope that it will grow into something. Faith really is like a little seed." Not that I ever doubted the song- all primary songs speak the truth- it just kind of became real for me today.
Then I started thinking about Alma 32 (I lied I do know more scripture references off the top of my head other than Alma 7:11). Where he talks about faith and hope. In verse 21 he says:
"And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
I really don't know if my little seeds are going to get enough sun to grow back there. I don't have a "perfect knowledge" of what is going to happen in that dirt. I do, however, have hope. I have enough hope that I spent time with my husband planning out the dimensions of the box. We had enough hope that we actually went out and built the box, bought dirt and seeds and today I had enough hope that something would happen that I planted those seeds. I had enough hope to at least try and I'm going to keep watering that dirt until I see something start to grow... or it ends up being the middle of July and nothing is there.
That's faith. Hope enough to try, desire enough to believe. Those are the little seeds that Alma asks us to plant in our hearts.
Now, I really don't know if my garden is going to grow back there- there is no guarantee or promise that came with those seeds like that of God's words, but when we talk about faith in God we are promised that our seeds will grow as long as we continue to nurture the seed of hope and desire that we have planted into our hearts.
Nurturing takes action, it means going out and doing something that will help that faith grow. Read the scriptures, pray, and then live as the scriptures say to live and do as the spirit directs and your faith will grow and you will come to know God.
Plan your box, build it, fill it up with dirt, plant some seeds in it (make sure it gets enough sun), water them, weed them, and watch them grow.#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014 (4 photos)
Day 8: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5
There was once a boy, age 14, who desired to know which church was true. He visited many different churches and was confused as to why God would allow His children to be taught so many different things. His family were avid Bible readers and one day while pondering which of the churches was the most correct in God's eyes, he read James 1:5. He determined that asking God was the only way to find out the answer. He set out on a spring morning to find a quiet place in the wood by his home. He knelt as a humble boy, full of faith, and prayed to God.
What happen next would change the world.
He was visited by God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Among other instructions the boy learned that there was not a church on the earth that was fully correct. This boy was humbled by his experience but he was determined to follow God's will.
"So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation." Joseph Smith History 1:25
I give my testimony that God speaks to us today. He has not left us alone. Ann
#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
There was once a boy, age 14, who desired to know which church was true. He visited many different churches and was confused as to why God would allow His children to be taught so many different things. His family were avid Bible readers and one day while pondering which of the churches was the most correct in God's eyes, he read James 1:5. He determined that asking God was the only way to find out the answer. He set out on a spring morning to find a quiet place in the wood by his home. He knelt as a humble boy, full of faith, and prayed to God.
What happen next would change the world.
He was visited by God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Among other instructions the boy learned that there was not a church on the earth that was fully correct. This boy was humbled by his experience but he was determined to follow God's will.
"So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation." Joseph Smith History 1:25
I give my testimony that God speaks to us today. He has not left us alone. Ann
#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
Day 8: When things seem to be going poorly, turn your focus outward rather than inward. It is amazing how that simple attitude change will fix things.
Every day we have a choice to turn our focus inward or outward. To center our lives on "what I need", "what I want", "whether or not I am happy" or to think about "what do others need", "what do others want", or "whether or not others are happy".
The more we focus inward the less joy we will have in our life, and we will actually take away happiness away from others by focusing inward. But as we focus outward we will find joy and help others feel joy.
It seems like a paradox: Forgetting yourself leads to joy. But it is true. Every time I have put it to the test the end result has been happiness and joy.
After all didn't our Savior Jesus Christ illustrate this principle His entire life? His atonement in Gethsemane and death on Calvary, did not serve himself well at all, it gave Him suffering, pain,and death. But it glorified our Heavenly Father, and it saved our souls. His selflessness gave us all hope for joy.
#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
Every day we have a choice to turn our focus inward or outward. To center our lives on "what I need", "what I want", "whether or not I am happy" or to think about "what do others need", "what do others want", or "whether or not others are happy".
The more we focus inward the less joy we will have in our life, and we will actually take away happiness away from others by focusing inward. But as we focus outward we will find joy and help others feel joy.
It seems like a paradox: Forgetting yourself leads to joy. But it is true. Every time I have put it to the test the end result has been happiness and joy.
After all didn't our Savior Jesus Christ illustrate this principle His entire life? His atonement in Gethsemane and death on Calvary, did not serve himself well at all, it gave Him suffering, pain,and death. But it glorified our Heavenly Father, and it saved our souls. His selflessness gave us all hope for joy.
#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
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