A Lesson from Seeds

By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Adapted from “God’s Harvest,” Ensign, Aug. 2014, 4–6.

Christa worked for a seed company. One day she got a complaint that puzzled her.

“The seeds don’t work,” a customer said.

“Did you plant them in good soil and give them water and sunlight?” Christa asked.

“No! That would mean getting dirty.”

Christa decided to write instructions: “You must plant the seeds. You can’t set them on the shelf and expect them to grow.”

Soon she got another complaint.

“I planted the seeds, and I was hoping to have tomatoes for dinner. Now I am very disappointed.”

“Wait,” Christa said. “Are you saying you planted the seeds today?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the customer replied. “I planted them a week ago.”

Christa added another guideline: “You must be patient and wait.”

All went well until Christa received another complaint.

“I planted the seeds, gave them water and sunshine, and waited. But I got zucchini!” the customer said.

“You ordered zucchini seeds,” Christa said.

“But I don’t want zucchini. I want pumpkins! I planted the seeds in my pumpkin patch!”

Christa wrote: “The seeds you plant determine the harvest.”

Just as seeds require work and patience, so do many of Heavenly Father’s blessings. If we plant and nurture gospel standards in our daily life, we will grow up to have spiritual fruit of great value. Our goal is to live good lives so that the harvest of God’s blessings can be ours.

Seeds of Faith

Seeds need sunlight, water, and soil to grow into strong plants. Here are some things that help your faith in Jesus Christ grow strong.

baptism
church
kindness
patience
prayer
sacrament
scriptures
temple

Grow your Faith! Read more in Alma 32:41.