Lessons from a Tomato Plant

A while back in Elder's quorum, there was mention of tomato plants....I think they related growing tomato plants to Faith or something (I don't remember anymore). So, Andy decided to plant tomatoes. They've been growing very well and they actually have several flowers on it. :) We were pretty excited. Well, one day, Andy didn't water them..well, they started wilting. He was pretty surprised at how fast they wilted. I had made the comment about how we can't miss saying our prayers or reading scriptures. If we do, our faith/testimony will weaken. Then Andy had made the comment that there was always repentance. I agreed with him and said we needed to see if our plants would survive. So, we went and watered them. Then, a few hours later, we checked on them and they had perked right back up. It was amazing! We were glad we saved out plants. :)

Our comments were made somewhat jokingly, but it just reminded me on how important it is to strengthen our testimony. We continually need to water our seeds of faith/testimony for it to grow and we can do this by following the commandments, reading our scriptures, applying what we learn, praying, attending the Temple, and just always striving to become better people. If we don't do these things, our faith and testimony will weaken. However, they'll be strengthened again once we start doing the things we should be doing.

Also, it also re-confirmed the importance of setting goals. Our goal for our plants is to actually grow tomatoes. So, to meet that goal, we will water it every day. In life, we should set realistic goals. That way, we will have something to look forward to and actually do the necessary things to achieve them. Currently, Andy and I have a goal of saying our prayers and of reading our scriptures every day. Since we've made these things our goals, we've actually been doing pretty well and I've really enjoyed it. It's been fun studying the scriptures together and learning from them. We're always trying to apply the things that we've learned.

Anyway, if you haven't already, set realistic goals...both spiritual and life goals. It will definitely give you more direction and give you the motivation to do things... :)

Beginning Stage:










Blooming Plants: