One year a friend of mine planted several rows of zucchini in her backyard garden. She cared for the crop in her usual meticulous way. The plants matured to a lush green, the flowering buds were a bright golden yellow. Soon the zucchini grew to a rewarding length and weight, all according to plan. Harvest time came and she picked the fruit. After cutting into one of the zucchinis, she was surprised to find the inside had rotted away. To her dismay the entire crop had suffered the same fate. Too much rainfall that summer damaged the plants from the roots. Her garden took a loss that summer—but not her spirit. The lesson of the ruined zucchini crop taught her something about spiritual harvests in the lives of those around her. Can we be sure our friends and family members who seem happy on the outside may not actually be hiding pain or sadness deep inside their hearts?
Have you ever known a person who appears happy, but inside they are experiencing sorrow that the eye can’t see? All too often friends and family around us suffer silently with trials of the heart, financial pressures, chronic health issues, or other burdens of the soul. A casual greeting of “how are you?” may be answered with the expected reply, “I’m fine,” rather than the truth. Maybe they are fine, but they sure could use someone to talk to. Maybe they’re not fine, but they’re too embarrassed to ask for help. Can we see beyond their words and discern the silent life-line they may be trying to cast?
We can’t predict the outcome of crops but we can be more mindful of others. We can share our spiritual harvest so they can gain insight, direction, and strength to face their trials with renewed faith and hope. Cultivating spiritual truth from our Father in Heaven can help us recognize the unspoken needs of others as well as strengthen our own spiritual foundation when we too feel the burdens of the trials of life.
Recognize the good seed—everyone is worth saving
When you’ve witnessed the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have a heightened understanding of God’s love for you. You realize you are part of a heavenly family and that you matter to Him. This changes everything. You realize you have a role in life that goes beyond the mundane of what you may experience everyday—you have an eternal destiny that is far greater than anything you will achieve here. You realize you are the good seed that will produce good fruit, once cultivated with God’s care. And if you are deserving of these blessings, which you are, so is your neighbor. Everyone is worth saving in God’s eternal plan.
Recognize the good soil—the safe haven of the gospel
Keeping the commandments of the gospel has a way of adding blessings to your life. You can pray to your loving Father in Heaven daily. This will help you understand the wisdom of his will, feel the love behind it, and give you strength to act upon it. You can receive the saving ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You can then partake of the sacrament weekly to renew covenants with Him and feel cleansed and renewed spiritually. You can serve God through acts of kindness to others. You can keep your mind and heart focused on compassion and love, to be an example to others who have lost faith in humanity.
We may never know how important our little acts of kindness may be to others around us, especially those who are experiencing silent heartaches in their lives. As long as we do what we can to remain actively growing in the fruitful soil of the gospel, we are safe. The harsh weather may try to damage our good seed, but the richness of the soil protects it from the most severe conditions. And if we are safe, we can save others.
Give the proper care—don’t judge others, walk with them in their trials
Being the good seed in the good soil gives us a protection and a strength that not only sustains us but allows us to reach out to others and sustain them. We learn from the gospel not to judge others—if we look upon those who struggle with compassion and forgiveness, we will see them as God sees them. We will understand that they are worth so much to Him, more than they will ever know. Sometimes all a person needs is a friend who will listen, who will walk with them through their tough times so they know they are not alone. This is what the Savior would do if he were here right now. We can follow his example and walk with them, too.
To read more of Nanette’s devotionals, click the picture.
Having compassion trains our heart to become more sensitive to the difficult situations others may be in. The Holy Ghost, our constant spiritual companion, acts in a gentle way to remind us of these needs. We may receive a prompting to call someone out of the blue. We may notice physical signals that hint of depression or sadness, causing us to reach out. We may be impressed to say the things our friend may need to hear, even if we are unaware of the circumstance. These things come so much more freely when we are grounded in the good soil of the gospel. And if the environment is sacred enough for the Holy Spirit to dwell in, our friends will feel of that spirit and find it comforting as well.
Ye are the light of the world
We may not be able to salvage a lost crop in the garden, but our effort to reach out to those who may be spiritually hurting inside is within our reach. The light of Christ dwells within the hearts of all men and women. Where light exists, darkness cannot dwell. We can be the light they need to jump-start their inner light. Our faith can be a beacon for them to find that light again and to give it a chance to grow.
Nanette O'Neal loves the gospel and is very happy to share her testimony on LDS Blogs. She is a convert to the church and still feels the spirit burn strong within her heart. She graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts with a degree in music education and has taught children and adults in the private and public sphere for over twenty years. Nanette continues to study the gospel and the art of writing. She writes weekly inspirational articles on her blog and is currently working on an LDS fantasy novel series, A Doorway Back to Forever. You can find her at NanetteONeal.blogspot.com. Nanette has a wonderful husband, talented son, and three beautiful dogs.
