Tomato Seeds

I was out running this morning and listening to conference, the latest conference actually.  It is so good.  Anyhow, I was listening to Elder Ballard's talk and loved a story he told about a little girl and a tomato seed.  A long time ago I taught the Gospel Doctrine class in the University Ward in Las Vegas.  While doing so I determined that our lives are full of parables, our own personal parables.  The story Elder Ballard shared was such a parable.  I felt a need to share it here.  I could identify with certain things.  I sometimes find myself wilting and in need of light and water.  Well, I won't say more, here is the story. 

As we think about the imagery of succoring the weak, lifting up the hands which hang down, and strengthening feeble knees, I am reminded of a sweet seven-year-old showing her grandfather a small tomato plant she had started from seed as part of a second-grade school project.

She explained that from one tiny seed would come a plant. And if the plant were cared for, it would grow many tomatoes that would each have many seeds.

She said, “And if all of those seeds were planted and grew more tomatoes, and you planted all of those seeds, in a few seasons you would have millions of tomatoes.”

“All,” she said in amazement, “from one little seed.”

But then she said, “I almost killed my plant. I left it in a dark room and forgot to water it. When I remembered the plant, it was all wilted and dead looking. I cried because I thought of all of those millions of tomatoes that would never grow.”

She was then excited to tell her grandfather about the “miracle” that happened.

She explained, “Momma said maybe the plant wasn’t dead. Maybe all it needed was some water and some light to bring life back.

“And she was right. I gave the plant some water, and I put it in the window for light. And guess what?” she asked. “It came back to life, and now it’s going to grow millions of tomatoes!”

Her small tomato plant, so full of potential but so weakened and wilted from unintentional neglect, was strengthened and revived through the simple ministration of water and light by the little girl’s loving and caring hands.

Brothers and sisters, as the literal spirit children of our loving Heavenly Father, we have unlimited, divine potential. But if we are not careful, we can become like the wilted tomato plant. We can drift away from the true doctrine and gospel of Christ and become spiritually undernourished and wilted, having removed ourselves from the divine light and living waters of the Savior’s eternal love and priesthood power.

I loved that story.  To me it speaks of a number of things but foremost in my mind is the hope it provides.  No matter where we are at in our lives we can be revived through the Savior.  His light and his living water can renew us if we will come unto him and do the things he asks us to do.  I know that is true.