Area Leadership Message
If You Had Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to serve as the stake’s young women camp director. At this camp, the young women were able to strengthen their testimonies of Jesus Christ, make new friends, and develop leadership skills. One experience that I will never forget happened in a small river near the camp. As part of that activity, we led the young women through some challenging obstacles down to the river. When they finally reached their goal, they enjoyed wading in the water. The young women were very happy and having fun. However, I noticed one of the girls who was looking at the water with great interest, as if she was trying to find something. I decided to ask what had drawn her interest.
I said, “What’s wrong?” She replied that she was looking for a silver earring that had fallen in the river. I reminded her that there were rules at camp that if followed would help avoid situations like this. She acknowledged her mistake but then emotionally said, “Those earrings are precious because my grandmother gave them to me.” I felt badly that she had lost it.
After watching her search for those earrings doubt filled my thoughts. How was it even possible to help her find anything in this rocky river bottom and constantly flowing waters? Then I felt impressed that we should say a prayer together and I asked, “Do you have faith that Jesus Christ could help us?”
She responded with a firm, “Yes.”
I let her know that I also felt that He would help us.
After our prayer, we looked in the river. It was still difficult but at one point it seemed like the movement of the water stopped and I saw something shiny. I bent down, put my hands in the water, and stirred the rocky soil and there was the young woman’s earring. I presented it to her, and our embrace was filled with happiness and gratitude for this miracle from our Heavenly Father, because of our faith.
The Savior teaches us in Matthew 17:20 that “if [we] have faith as a grain of a mustard seed . . . nothing shall be impossible unto [us].” As I reflected on this experience, I realized I had been taught by our Heavenly Father that all things are possible, even finding a small earring in a fast-moving stream.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel, and it develops as we strive each day to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, worthily partake of the sacrament, study the scriptures, serve others, strive to be faithful disciples of Christ, and endure to the end on the covenant path.
One of the songs from the 2021 youth theme album teaches us that if we have faith, we can move mountains, cross the seas, and walk on water. We can move our overwhelming challenges, as we exercise our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ, and walk the covenant path back to our Heavenly Father.
In the scriptures we find great examples from people who exercised faith in Jesus Christ and were blessed; Nephi and the widow of Zarephath are two examples I want to share.
When Nephi and his brothers were commanded to return to Jerusalem, they were seeking the records from Laban that contained the genealogy of their family. The Lord told Nephi that he would deliver Laban into his hands1. Nephi did not know how this would happen, but he followed the Spirit and did as he was commanded2. In the end, Nephi obtained the records and gave them to his father, allowing them to preserve their language, know their genealogy, and most importantly, have the word of God to teach them.
Nephi’s experience taught us that although we may not know the full plan, we should trust the promptings of the Spirit and move forward in faith. Despite the adversities we may experience along the way, Heavenly Father will always provide us a way to fulfill what He requires of us.
The widow of Zarephath demonstrated her conviction of faith as she gave the only food that she had to the Lord’s anointed and God subsequently blessed her with food through a drought. 3
These examples show us that faith requires us to act on our belief in the Savior even though we may not have a perfect knowledge of things. We can accomplish great things as we act. Our acts of faith, though they may appear as great sacrifices on our part, return to us as personal miracles that demonstrate Heavenly Father’s love for each of us. My young woman received her personal miracle, and like the widow of Zarephath, I learned to offer what I can when the Lord presents opportunities to me to bless others.
In the April 2022 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson wanted us to know that miracles are happening today and taught us that, “The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing.’ Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith.”4
As we strengthen our faith and trust in the Savior each day and remain faithful to the covenants we have made with the Father, we can expect miracles to happen in our lives.