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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.
C.S.
Bezas' new book, Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers: Helping
Youth Find Their Spiritual Wings, has been called the perfect
book for those who teach youth. It is available at LDS bookstores
and by clicking here.
© 2007 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved
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