Sister Patti Tippetts
Primary Music Leader
One day, many many years ago, I walked through my back yard and decided I wanted to have a peach tree, and be able to eat peaches that I had grown and cared for myself. There was a perfect spot in my garden for a beautiful little peach tree where I knew it would grow and be happy. It was decided…I was going to plant a peach tree.
I went to the nursery a few days later to pick the perfect peach tree. They were small, but I at least I wouldn’t have to wait for a peach seed to grow. I looked at many, and then chose what I considered the best tree for me. I reached down and turned over the paper attached to the tree. I read it. It gave instructions for planting and caring for the tree. It also said that I would have to wait 3…or 4…or even 5 years before the tree would start to produce fruit!!! What? I didn’t want to wait that long before I could enjoy the wonderful fruit from my own garden. I was disappointed, and I left the nursery that day without buying a tree.
As days and weeks and years passed, I often looked longingly at the spot I had chosen to plant my peach tree. But there was still no tree there. It just seemed like such a long time to wait before I could benefit from my labors of nurturing a tree. Then one day as I worked in my garden and once again longed for a peach tree to have tasty peaches of my own, and it occurred to me, “Hey, it’s been five years since I didn’t plant that tree!” I suddenly realized that IF I had planted that tree when I had planned, I would be enjoying those peaches right now, this year…and maybe even last year or the year before. NOW I was very sad.
With this new lesson in mind I went right down to the nursery and I purchased and planted a lovely little peach tree. I had learned that if I did not make the effort certainly nothing would come of it. I was not going to let another 5 years pass by and still not have wonderful peaches to enjoy THEN.
Sometimes we think we are too young to really have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ and so… maybe we don’t try as hard as we know we should to make the right choices and do the right things. But if we wait to start doing all those things we’ve been taught, we will get further into our lives and realize that we could have been enjoying the happiness Heavenly Father has planned for us all along. The sooner we plant… the sooner we reap. But we need to also remember that if we have not taken the time to plant yet—it is never too late. It is never too late to plant a tree, and it is never too late to plant our testimony seed.
Just like planting trees or flowers, we have to plant our testimonies and nurture them to grow. We must soften the soil so the seed has a place to grow; or soften our hearts so our testimony has a place to grow. And then we must water, feed, and nurture our tree or plant to keep it growing and healthy; or pray, read the scriptures, learn about the gospel, and live the way Jesus has taught to keep our testimonies growing and healthy.
We are going to have the opportunity to have our turn to go to church in a couple of weeks. I know we don’t all get to go at the same time, but I am looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of you who are going at noon when I do. And I hope that you will all choose to go and share your smiles with those in your time slots. It’s a good way to nurture your testimony!!
Love you all bunches, and I hope to see you soon.
Here are some more songs you could practice:
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