From Seed to Tree

Charlene L., Philippines

A few years ago, I wanted to gain my own personal testimony of the Book of Mormon, so I put more effort into reading my scriptures daily. When I reached the end of the book, I followed the counsel of Moroni, who said to ask God, and if I have a sincere heart and real intent, Heavenly Father would answer my prayer (see Moroni 10:4–5). I kneeled down and prayed. I waited for an answer. I expected an unforgettable spiritual experience that night, or the feeling of what they call “burning in the bosom,” but nothing came.

I was disappointed, but I didn’t give up. I continued to read my scriptures each day in faith. And as I read, the scriptures enlightened my mind little by little. I learned to love the messages and words found in the scriptures, and they brought comfort and hope to my heart. These seemingly small experiences became more frequent.

One day I realized that there was a difference between how strong my testimony was before and how strong it is now. I realized that everyone gains their testimony in different ways. For me, testimony came like the story found in Alma 32: like a little seed of faith, as I nourished it daily by reading my scriptures, pondering, and applying the things I learned from the scriptures, my testimony slowly but surely grew “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). From that seed of faith and desire has grown a tree of testimony.

But my story doesn’t end here. I know I must continue to nourish the tree so it doesn’t weaken and wither away. Then my tree of testimony will grow larger and more rooted, and when the storms of temptation and trial come, my tree will not fall.