Plant a Seed of Faith
By C.S. Bezas

My five-year-old son and I planted squash, onions, and cantaloupe seeds two weekends ago. Neither he nor I had ever gardened before — and to be honest, I wasn't so sure we would ever see life from our seeds. Call me small of faith, but it was hard to believe that I could bring these seeds to fruition, that I could make these seeds grow. I inadvertently had seen so many green leafy things wilt and die in my life that it was hard to believe I could ever be considered a "green thumb."

Yet as a family, our new goal is to become self-sufficient; within that self-sufficiency goal we know it is important to learn how to grow your own food. So we planted vegetable seeds this month. And I kept promising my little son that if you plant a seed and water it, putting it in a nice warm location, it will grow.

And so we watered that black soil every day. Day after day my son would run out to the patio to see if our "food" had popped up yet out of the ground. Day by day it hadn't. But we kept on with our faithful watering trips.

As we waited for the hoped-for-day of seeing a "food sprout," we would talk about how it might feel to see those baby plants, how good it would be to take care of them, and how delicious to eat the eventual fruits of our labors.

I'm pleased to announce the first of those moments arrived three days ago. As we walked onto the patio, watering can in hand, my little son shouted, "Mommy, they're here!" Excitedly, he ran over to one of the planter beds, his hands pointing and jabbing in the direction of the first sprouts that had poked their wee heads above the dark, deep soil. I quickly joined him and knelt by his side. Together, we oohed and ahhed at the tiny head of the baby vegetable plant, at its brilliant green color, at the exciting moment of new life. And quietly inside, I pondered the miracle of a seed and how this applies to my work while teaching the youth in the Church.

Two young squash plants see the light.

The Mysterious World of a Seed

Although I've never been much of a gardener, I loved my biology/botany class in college. My professor held great enthusiasm for the plant kingdom and taught us well. I soon learned what an awe-inspiring world exists within the seeds of plants — and it is so very similar to our youth!

Beneath a seed's exterior/protective seed coat rests the endosperm, a rich food that exists to feed the seed's inner embryonic package once it begins to grow. But some seeds remain dormant for some time. It takes moisture and temperature changes to initiate growth (known as germination).

When the seed has absorbed enough water, the seed coat will crack. This allows the baby root to escape the confines of its "coat" and to begin to grow toward the light from the sun. Without this process, we would not have fruits, vegetables, shade trees, or any form of plant life. This then would leave animals without food, interrupting the food cycle we are so dependent upon while here on earth.

Youth are Like Seeds

Our youth are so similar to seeds that it astonishes me. They've come to this earth in perfect little packages, just like seeds. They have spiritual "endosperm," an initial sense of right and wrong with which to feed their embryonic spiritual sensitivities. But just like seeds, without fertile soil, moisture, or light from the Son, it will be difficult for them to grow to their true potential. Without these essential growth ingredients (just like seeds), many youth may struggle eventually to escape their confining and hardening "seed coats."

What might these essential growth ingredients be that feed our youth's embryonic spiritual possibilities? What can aid our young men and young women's growth toward spiritual germination? This will vary depending on the setting, but in a classroom setting, our youth need to feel of our love for them first and foremost (the fertile soil). They need us to prepare clear lessons based on true principles (the moisture). And they need the witness of the Holy Ghost as to the divinity of the Son and God's love for them (the Light).

When these are present, we aid our youth in becoming like Him in whose image they were created. This is, after all, the purpose for their existence here on earth — to grow toward the Light from the Son.

There is Only so Much I can Do

The gospel works; it really does. Through some miraculous manner, the gospel will feed a soul once it has germinated. Therefore, I have learned that as a spiritual gardener, I myself can only do so much and then I must rely on the Lord to aid the rest of the growth process for our youth.

Of course, it is essential initially to plant the seed in an area of light. Of course, I must place the seed in soil rich and fertile. Of course, I must provide moisture. But after all I can do, the Lord and I both must wait for the seed. It is up to the seed to germinate.

Also, just as I can over-water seeds in a haste to force their growth, I can spiritually over-water the youth in my classrooms by attempting to force germination on my own schedule. How tragic to forget that spiritual germination cannot be forced. If we were to attempt this, we would be most unwise. No, instead we simply show up each day, ready with our appropriately balanced measures of spiritual moisture, soil, and light from the Son — trusting that the seed will one day bear fruit.

In other words, we don't make seeds grow; we simply plant them and nurture them with balanced nutrients. The individual, with the Lord's help, must do the rest.

Some Seeds Take Time

How easy to forget that some seeds may take a few more days than their counterparts to pop up above the soil. I'm seeing this right now with my little son's garden. The seeds that popped up three days ago are already twice the height of those that just joined us today. Yet two months down the road, it perhaps will be difficult to tell the difference between the early-arrivers and those that joined the rest a bit later.

Many of our youth are this way right now. Some are just now starting to understand why the gospel might be important. They're just beginning to get a clearer idea of what the Savior might mean to them, even though some of their friends grasped this way back in their Primary classes.

Does it really matter when a youth comes round? Of course, the sooner an individual understands the significance of gospel living and what it can do for him, the sooner much heartache can be avoided. But even if some stragglers come at such late date as to surprise us, do we not celebrate their arrival? My little seedlings in our family's garden vary in height right now. Perhaps some of today's youth are the same spiritually. But who is to say that today's straggler won't be tomorrow's valiant?

Summary

In all my previous "green thumb" attempts with mature plants, I had not been successful. But I had never been the one to plant the seed. I had never tried gardening from scratch. Because of previous bad experiences, I had made the assumption my failures were because of my inability to understand the process and had somehow failed the plant. Eventually I gave up, assuming I was not a "green thumb." This then influenced my negative attitude toward trying to garden from scratch.

I'd decided to try planting seeds two weekends ago simply to follow through with our family's goal of learning self-sufficiency skills, not because I had any great expectations for exciting outcomes. But I was proven wrong. Seedlings are sprouting all about me in our little garden!

And through this gardening experience, because I started from scratch, I learned an important lesson. As long as I provide the water, the rich soil, and a sunny location, the Lord's miracle of a seed can take over. Growth is partially the plant's responsibility.

This perspective can help those of us who work with the youth at church (or even within our own families). We as adults might wrongly think that if a youth does not appear to learn or grow, it is either not happening at all or perhaps it is our fault. We could erroneously believe that if we don't have a perfect teaching environment, a perfectly prepared lesson, or if we're not perfect (immersing ourselves in scripture study, prayer, and full-hearted service), then our lessons will fail. We might mistakenly think we are the ones solely responsible for influencing change in a young person's heart.

From quality learning environments to the quality of our own hearts, all of these factors are important. But it is equally important to remember that if learning is not yet taking place, it is not 100% the teacher's fault. The seed does own the responsibility to germinate, and we must give it ample space and tender time to discover that fact.

As youth leaders and teachers, it is also important to keep in mind that we serve as only one of the many "tenders" for the Lord's newest seeds. There are other "tenders" — the parents and family of our youth, the bishopric, youth leaders, home teachers, and other influential individuals. These all constitute a part of an essential team of spiritual gardeners, with our youth forming the most important part of the picture: the ready seed.

Up until my hands-on gardening experience this week, I'd not fully realized the tremendous miracle of seeds themselves — both physical ones and spiritual ones. Our young men and young women must decide for themselves what they will allow into their hearts and minds. The Spirit of course acts as the primer to the whole process, but the youth will decide whether they will give place for the spiritual soil, the moisture and the light we as a team bring. As teachers, all we can do is be sincere, provide an atmosphere in which the Spirit can flow, and patiently await the germination of these still tender seedlings.

It is my experience that some seeds might take more water, others might take more fertilizer, but in time nearly all will sprout if we abide good-naturedly within our responsibilities and in balanced fashion. If we simply apply what we know, we can rest, trusting nature and the beauty of the "seed" within each child of God to germinate — if not on our timetable, at least on theirs. The Lord in His miraculous ways will complete the process. All we need do is begin by planting the seed and then stepping back to await the wonder of new growth.