9 Ways to Nourish Your Testimony and Plant Seeds of Faith -

Learning how to plant seeds of faith in one’s life is a lifelong process. Fortunately, vegetable gardens are filled with poignant life lessons on how to plant and nurture and grow. What life lessons have you learned from being in the garden? As I reflect on my personal growth, one lesson in particular stands out:

Our entire garden plot, filled with nothing but barren soil, its rich earthy fragrance filling the air, was planted with nothing but seed this year. Normally we purchase plant starts to expedite the growing process. However, because most of the gardening budget went to increasing the life-giving nutrients in the soil, our remaining meager resources were spent on a variety of vegetable and herb and flower seeds. I had not known until experiencing it for myself just how rewarding it can be to see an entire garden grown, in rich fertile soil, from nothing but tiny seeds.

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Planting Spiritual Seeds

Our testimonies of Jesus Christ are the same way. Just as I had grown accustom to relying on plant starts in my garden to expedite the growth process, we can, and often do, rely on the testimonies of others to begin building our own testimony and foundations of faith. Yet, it is when we choose to work hard to create a healthy and fertile foundation, and when we make the decision to plant our own seeds of faith, that beautiful things truly begin to happen. A simple and sincere desire to develop a testimony of one’s own is the planting of a seed of faith.

faith definitions

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, faith is a “firm belief in something for which there is no proof”.

Webster 1828 Dictionary provides more insight by mentioning the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew translations of the word faith:

Latin Translation: fides, fido, to trust
Greek Translation: to persuade, to draw towards any thing, to conciliate; to believe, to obey
Hebrew Translation: To bind or make fast. “In the Greek Lexicon of Hederic it is said, the primitive signification of the verb is to bind and draw or lead, as signifies a rope or cable. But this remark is a little incorrect. The sense of the verb, from which that of rope and binding is derived, is to strain, to draw, and thus to bind or make fast. A rope or cable is that which makes fast. Heb.” In similar fashion, one Hebrew resource defines the word faith as support.

Nourishing a Testimony

After intentionally planting a seed of faith in spiritual soil, one nourishes the seed (a potential testimony) by doing specific things to promote its growth. Prayer, scripture study, and church attendance are the foundational ways in which to nourish one’s testimony. Other suggestions might include ministering to others, spending time in nature, fasting, paying tithing, and attending the temple and/or temple grounds.

Deepening Roots

Once a testimony begins to take root and grow, hope increases, as will the desire to tend to the growth of your testimony. At this point, constant daily nourishment is necessary for the roots to go deep. If not in a state of growth, roots begin to wither away. To keep the roots strong, continue with regular prayer, daily scripture study, and weekly church attendance. Consider sharing your growing testimony with others when the opportunity arises. You might share your testimony at church, or with your family or friends. Doing so will help deepen the roots of your testimony. Deep and widespread roots provide a spiritual foundation of strength which will help you endure the struggles of life.

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Prophetic Counsel

The Book of Mormon prophet, Helaman, offers sound wisdom on building a firm foundation:

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

“And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life.” (Alma 33:23)

Remember, Remember

A testimony is as strong as you make it. Plant the seed of faith in fertile soil. Nurture growth as your hope increases. Growing a testimony is a lifetime pursuit. one that takes place “line upon line” (2 Nephi 28:30). With consistent effort, the roots of your testimony will run deep, providing a firm and steady foundation on which to build your life–a life centered around the Lord, Jesus Christ and His doctrine.

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A Parent’s Responsibility

With your seed of testimony firmly planted in fertile soil, it is incumbent upon you encourage your children to plant their own seeds of faith; doing so can lead to prosperity and tremendous blessing for your child and their posterity. Neglecting to do so can lead to a garden full of weeds, as described here by one author:

“The problem of our day is the problem of the revival of the spiritual faculty in order to the bringing in of a great outburst in the higher life and arts. Doubtless knowledge is more widely diffused than ever before; but it is equally certain that the lack of care and training of the imagination and the higher religious sentiments has resulted in a distinct loss in our mental grip, as is evinced in our journals, our politics, our life, our literature. This is a generation in which parents are permitting their children to grow up as moral and religious weaklings. The theory of millions of parents is, “Let the child wait until he has grown and then choose his own religion.” More than two generations ago an English statesman uttered this sentiment in the presence of Coleridge. Leading his friend into the garden, Coleridge said: “I have decided not to put out any vegetables this spring, but to wait until August and let the garden decide for itself whether it prefers weeds or strawberries.” ~ Newell Dwight Hillis, How The Inner Light Failed

A Shield of Protection

Having a testimony is like having a shield of protection in place to keep the adversary’s fiery darts away. A testimony will bring you closer to Jesus Christ as you strive to follow in His footsteps. With roots firmly planted in fertile soil, you can secure your growing testimony to the foundation of Jesus Christ. Doing so will bring tremendous confidence and joy into your life.