“In the Morning Sow Thy Seed,” Ensign, June 2009, 40–43
In the Morning Sow Thy Seed
The rich brown color of newly turned earth, the gentle placement of seeds in a straight garden furrow, then the act of faith as we cover the seeds with dirt. We water them and wait as nature does its job. As the seeds grow, we week and work, and as we do so we are blessed with increased self-reliance and insight into the law of the harvest. Eventually, we enjoy the succulent fruits of our labors—food.
The Lord has said, “The fulness of the earth is yours, … Yea, all things which come of the earth … are made for the benefit and use of man” (D&C 59:16, 18).
President Thomas S. Monson added another dimension to gardening as part of the larger goal of provident living when he said, “Self-reliance is a product of our work and undergirds all other welfare practices. It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being.”1
Latter-day Saint artists have used their talents to remind us that growing a garden is filled with blessings. Following is some of their artwork accompanied by the words of President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985).2
The Furrow, by Mabel Pearl Frazer
The Sower, by Greg Olsen
Salad, by Walter Rane
“Grow all the food that you possibly can on your own property, … [including] berry bushes, grapevines, and fruit trees … Grow vegetables and eat those grown in your own yard.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
Sego Harvest: Roots of Intercultural Cooperation, by Jodi Warner
“The Lord … created for us this beautiful world and gave command to our father Adam to till the ground and to dress the land and to make it habitable. That command continues to us.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
Mangoes, by Don O. Thorpe
A Basket to Eat, a Basket to Share, by Linda Etherington, courtesy of the Church History Museum 2006 International Art Competition
“Another commendable thing about gardening is the exchange of products by neighbors and the fostering of fellowship and neighborliness.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
Sarah’s Garden, by Robert Duncan
Flowing Fields, by George Midgleym, courtesy of the Church History Museum
“[Gardening] will bring satisfaction … and remind us all of the law of the harvest, which is relentless in life. We do reap what we sow.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
Becoming Self Reliant, by Abu Hassan Conteh, courtesy of the Church History Museum
“Even if the plot of soil you cultivate, plant, and harvest, is a small one, it brings human nature closer to nature as was the case in the beginning with our first parents.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
Life Is the Reward of Love and Labor, by Leo Fairbanks