Our department has this rule where students have to meet with an assigned academic advisor to discuss their schedule for the upcoming semester before we can register. I have a love/hate relationship with this. I love it because it helps me to stay on track with the degree program and gives me an extra opportunity to get closer to my advisor. I hate it because we are blocked from registration until the form is signed and submitted. First world problems.
Just like all the other times, I planned to meet with my advisor for just a few minutes to go over my schedule. Here's how it works... I walk in, hand him the form, he asks me questions, I ask him questions, he signs the paper, I leave.
But this visit was very different.
As he was asking me questions about my classes, I noticed he had a can of La Croix on his desk. My family is currently obsessed with this sparkling water, so naturally I pointed it out and commended his impeccable taste in beverage. He began to talk about how he tells his kids its "Coke water" so that they think they're drinking some yummy new soda. His kids are 4 and 6 years old. So cute.
I mentioned that we add different fruit juices to it to make it taste like soda and he told me that he adds fresh squeezed oranges from his garden. This is where the conversation went on a whole new level.
This guy has banana, mango, papaya, guava, cantaloupe, passion fruit, dragon fruit, honey dew, lemons, limes, oranges, apples, pumpkin, sunflower, yellow squash, cucumbers, cauliflower broccoli, carrots, garlic, onions, parsley, rosemary, mint, oregano, basil, and lettuce... all growing in his backyard... in Texas.
He filled me in on all his best kept secrets to successfully planting edibles in the Texas "soil". But of all his information, the thing that stood out to me most was this:
The only way a plant can produce fruits or vegetables is to have strong roots as a foundation. To have a strong foundation, you need to start with a healthy sprout. To have a healthy sprout, you need proper soil and nourishment for the seed (assuming it isn't a dud).
I immediately thought of Alma 32.
If a seed is a good seed and has the proper care, it will swell and sprout and produce fruit. If the seed is bad, it will not grow. It's that simple.
Our faith should follow this same concept! We practice faith when we humbly put our trust in God, not knowing what is to come. We nourish the "planted seed" through sincere prayer and communication with our Heavenly Father. Not only will this help us to draw closer to the Holy Spirit -- and become more like Christ -- this is how we come to gain knowledge of the truth of the Gospel.
Faith should be practiced actively; it should never sit on the back burner. Saying you have faith in God's plan is not enough. I can say that I'm going to get fit, but unless I start eating better or working out, who am I kidding?
What Alma taught the Zoramites was a very important part of my spiritual growth over the last year and a half. It was also a huge contribution to my conversion as well! The imagery helped me to visualize how we grow as individuals as we grow closer to our Father in Heaven.
If there's anything I want you (yes, you) to take away from this post its that we need to love and care for our seeds of faith. We should continually try to grow stronger in our spiritual foundation, study the scriptures, pray for a strengthening in our beliefs, humble ourselves before God, and put our trust in Him.
Despite the insane odds, my advisor is able to maintain a successful jungle of exotic fruits in this funky Texas clay/soil/rock. He puts tons of time, love, and care into his plants and it definitely pays off. My meeting with him was expected to be mundane, but ended up being a much needed lesson for me.
