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Devotionals

Planting Seeds of Greatness

Aloha! I love this campus and what it means to the Church. I have visited many of your home countries and have met great men and women who were educated here and then returned to their homelands to build the Church throughout the Pacific. It is a joy to be here. Thank you, President Wheelwright, for the privilege of bearing my testimony from this pulpit. 

In fact, last summer I spent a couple of weeks in Australia, New Zealand, and for the first time Samoa. While in Samoa, I visited the remote village of Sauniatu, located in the crater of an extinct volcano about 20 miles east of Apia. There is  no easy way to get to Sauniatu. The only way in and out of the crater is up a steep path of jagged volcanic rock that tosses a vehicle around as though it’s a toy. You could probably walk up the side of the volcano and down into the crater to Sauniatu faster than you can ride there in a car.          

I had very little time in Samoa, and I wondered why my hosts insisted that we spend half a day going to Sauniatu, which is now an experimental farm where Samoan farmers practice new farming techniques, but I’m so glad that we did. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I felt as though I was standing on holy ground. 

Sauniatu means “prepare to go forth.” It was established in 1904 as a place of refuge for Saints who were being persecuted at the time. The village had its ups and downs, and at one point, it was almost wiped out by an influenza pandemic, and many questioned whether or not it could survive. But then in 1921, as part of his around-the-world tour, Elder David O. McKay visited the village and blessed the Saints that their plantations would be fruitful and that peace would abide in their homes and hearts. 

As I walked around the lush, tropical landscape, it seemed perfect that a place that means “prepare to go forth” has become a farm. Farmers surely understand better than anyone that you can only reap what you sow.  Anyone who wants to harvest  anything must prepare by planting seeds and then helping them grow. You are in a crucial seed-planting era of your life, so today I invite you to think about the seeds you are planting in your life right now because those seeds will determine the fruits you will harvest for the rest of your lives.   

The Lord has said that His field is white already to harvest and that for the last time, in this eleventh hour, He is calling laborers into His vineyard. He has given each of us a part of His vineyard to tend, so the seeds you plant and nurture will not only affect your life, and the lives of those you love, but the entire Church as well. “For he which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”1 

The Law of the Harvest is real. The Apostle Paul’s declaration that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”2 is not just good agriculture. It is a pattern for our lives. As the daughter of four generations of farmers, I can tell you from firsthand experience that if you hope to harvest anything, you have to plant seeds and then care for them.

You can’t fake it as a farmer. Either seeds get planted or they don’t. Either crops are watered or they aren’t. A farmer can’t hide in a cubicle in the library or in an office (or even on a beach) somewhere and hope no one notices he actually isn’t doing anything. 

In our lives, we can’t fake it either. Oh, we might be able to slide by for a while. We might tell ourselves that our future will somehow magically take care of itself or that there’s plenty of time later to repent. We might try to kid ourselves and pretend that truth and morality are relative or that God and His laws don’t exist. However, self-deception won’t change the fact that it’s not possible to reap a reward for something we haven’t worked for, and even the most articulate argument to the contrary won’t change God and His laws or the truth about what is right and wrong or good and evil. The Lord’s words about this are clear: “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled.”3 Our Father will not turn a blind eye to laziness or bullying or unkindness or dishonesty or immorality. He will not reward ugly behaviors with peace of mind or, eventually, exaltation. It just doesn’t work that way. We cannot harvest the fruits of seeds we never plant.  

You know Alma’s teaching about planting and nourishing good seeds in our hearts: “Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed,...behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves–It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.”4

True seeds, good seeds, enlarge our hearts and enlighten our minds. Truth and goodness are truly delicious. 

Today, may I suggest five seeds worth planting and nourishing, seeds that will result in a harvest of peace, happiness, confidence, hope, and true joy. 

Number One: Plant the Seed of Discipleship

One of the most important choices we make is whether or not we  want to live as disciples of Christ. Being a disciple is not for the faint of heart. 

In the October 2012 General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke movingly about the apostles who remained after the death of the Savior. He reminded us that they were relatively young in their faith and weren’t sure what to do once the Savior was suddenly gone. At a loss, many of them followed Peter back to the lake to resume their lives as fishermen. The first night back on the lake, they didn’t catch anything–not a single fish. Then a Galilean stranger called from the shore and told them to put their nets down on the right side of the ship. When they caught so many fish that the weight broke their nets, they realized that it was the risen Lord on shore, and they hurried to greet Him. Then, in that memorable interchange, the Savior asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and three times Peter replied, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.”5 Elder Holland then suggested what the Lord might have said to Peter after his third response:  

"Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples–and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world.”6

I wish we had time to talk about how you felt as we read those words together because they did not apply just to ancient apostles. They are for us. Today.  We are men and women of the covenant, and we  each have work to do. We each have a divine errand. We each have seeds to plant. Make no mistake about it. You are here now because you are supposed to be here now. You have a role to play in hastening the Work of Salvation, which is the happiest, most consequential work on the face of the earth. If you want a place in His kingdom, God will put you to work. Ours is not a “feeble message.” It is the only work that will  change and  save the world. 

Decide today if you want to be a disciple. If you do, plant the seed of discipleship. It will give your life a sense of purpose that exceeds any other. 

Number Two: Plant the Seed of Knowledge 

In early 2002, while I was serving in the Relief Society general presidency, the Church instituted a security system that required those of us who frequented the extended Church campus in Salt Lake City– including Temple Square, the Conference Center, Church Office Building, Relief Society Building, and so forth–to wear ID badges. Because our presidency had served nearly five years, we were easily recognized, and I don’t remember ever actually using my new ID badge. 

In one of the Saturday sessions of the April 2002 General Conference, our presidency was released, but we continued to come and go to that conference in the usual manner for General Authorities and general officers–through a series of pedestrian tunnels that connect the various buildings on the Church campus. 

I had been assigned to speak early Sunday morning at a devotional for all of the General Conference hosts and hostesses, and I was to be in the Conference Center at 6 AM. As I drove to the Conference Center that morning, it dawned on me that heavy double doors located at various places along the tunnel might not be open that early. 

Sure enough, the first door in the tunnel was locked. I noticed an intercom on the wall, pushed the buzzer, and asked the Church Security officer who answered if he would let me through the door. “Sister Dew, do you have your ID badge with you?” I thought but didn’t say, “You know who I am. Why do you need to see my badge?” but I rummaged through my binder and found the badge. The officer then said, “Just wave it in front of the sensor, and the doors will open.” 

“Seriously. That’s fantastic! What else will this badge open?” 

He laughed and said, “You have a high clearance. Your badge gives you access to most doors throughout the Church campus. Didn’t you know that?”

“Amazing!” 

I was already wondering what else my badge would open when he brought me down to earth: “Wasn’t your presidency just released, Sister Dew?” 

“Yes,” I answered. 

“Well, enjoy your badge today because tonight at midnight, it will be deactivated.” 

As promised, my badge opened the doors through the tunnel, and also, as promised, the next day it no longer worked. The privilege was gone. 

The irony was unmistakable. For months, I had carried with me a badge that gave me privileges I had never made the effort or took the time to understand. 

What are  you walking around with that carries tremendous privileges but about which you know very little? What do you understand about the privileges that come with the gift and power of the Holy Ghost? Or ordination to the priesthood? Or your temple recommend, for starters. 

Knowledge is priceless, and knowledge about gifts from God is the most valuable knowledge of all. It is simply a mistake to not learn everything we can about the gifts God has given us–and particularly gifts that give us access to His power. Elder David A. Bednar has said that “knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion.”7 Conversion is what lifts us out of this world and gives us a vision higher than the world’s.

True conversion requires immersion–immersion in truth. Immersion in the word of God. Immersion in the teachings of prophets, seers, and revelators. Immersion in the temple. And immersion in the Spirit. True conversion doesn’t just happen. It takes sustained spiritual work. When we immerse ourselves in the gospel, we authorize heaven to tutor us. Our Father explained: “I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth  I will give more.”8 If we want to learn the mysteries of the kingdom, if we want to understand how God works, He will teach us–if we immerse ourselves in truth. It is a mistake to not learn all our Father will teach us. 

If you want to progress, if you want to feel more confident, if you want to ensure your future, plant the seed of knowledge and immerse yourself in truth.  

Number Three: Plant the Seed of Revelation 

God wants to talk to us, and He expects us to learn to receive revelation. Last fall, I attended church in a wonderful ward in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was enjoying Relief Society when the teacher suddenly ended her lesson early. Imagine my surprise when the Relief Society president said, “We’re happy to have Sister Dew with us today, and we’d like  her to take the remaining time.” 

It was an honor to bear my testimony that morning. Afterwards, I had barely stood up when a young woman your age threw her arms around me and said, “Sister Dew, I am visiting from Peru, and you are the reason I came to Brazil.” That seemed curious, since neither of us had known I would be speaking, but I asked what I had said that made a difference, and she repeated what she’d heard and why it helped her. 

That gave me an opportunity to point out something to her: “I am 100% sure that you heard what you said,” I told her, “but I am also 100% sure that I did not say it. What does that tell you?” 

She paused and then answered, “That the Lord was talking to me?” 

I nodded and asked, “What else does it tell you?” 

She thought again and said, “That He knew what I needed to hear?” 

I nodded again and asked, “What else does it tell you?” She wasn’t sure. “It tells you that you can receive revelation. The Holy Ghost translated what I said so that you heard what the Lord knew you needed. I am not the one who answered your prayer. It was God who did.” 

That young woman had received revelation, but she didn’t realize it. Each of us have to learn  how to hear the voice of the Lord–we have to learn the language of revelation. Many of you here are bilingual. You know what it takes to learn a new language. The language of revelation is the way God talks to us, through the whispering of the Holy Ghost.  All of the rules that govern the language of revelation are in the scriptures. That is one reason regular immersion in the scriptures is so important. That is where we learn how to hear the voice of the Spirit. It is where we learn what invites and drives away the Spirit. It is where we learn how to talk to God. 

One of Satan’s greatest deceptions is getting you to think you’re all alone. He wants you to believe that revelation is rare and certainly not something you can receive, but Elder Bruce R. McConkie countered that belief when he said that “there is no limit to the revelations  each member of the Church may receive. It is within the power of every person who has received the gift of the Holy Ghost to see visions, entertain angels, learn the deep and hidden mysteries of the kingdom, and even see the face of God."9 We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times, and the Lord has promised He will withhold  nothing from us. He has said we would have about as much luck stretching forth our puny arms and attempting to stop the Missouri River as we would in hindering “the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints."10

If we want to learn to receive revelation, we have to ask, but we have been promised, “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge."11

I was your age when I faced a major life decision. I had fasted and prayed many times and could not get an answer. I could feel the presence of the Spirit, but I couldn’t understand if the Spirit was saying anything. A wise mentor who knew about my spiritual struggles asked me if I had ever asked the Lord to teach me what it felt and sounded like  for me when the Spirit was speaking. That question changed my prayers and my life. As I began asking that question, I began to notice one clue after another in the Book of Mormon about how heaven communicates with people on earth. The keys to learning the language of revelation are in the Book of Mormon. They are worth studying and pondering and practicing. 

Learning the language of revelation takes time. There is no magic formula. I can, however, suggest three keys: asking, regular immersion in the scriptures, and personal purity. Purity of thought and intent. Purity in what we watch, read, listen to, and surround ourselves with. Purity in language and even in what we wear, and certainly moral purity. The Spirit is more likely to talk to someone who is trying to be pure. 

I can think of no more important seed to plant than the seed of revelation. The only way to discern between right and wrong, the only way to fulfill your divine errand, is to learn to receive revelation. God wants to talk to you, but He expects you to learn His language. Plant the seed of revelation, and it will change your life. 

Number Four: Plant the Seed of Faith in Jesus Christ

Several years ago, we had a harsh winter in Utah, and the snow was deep in my neighborhood. Deer wandered into my yard all winter scavenging for food. They ate the bark off of trees and mangled bushes. Once spring came, my yard was a mess. 

For weeks, I pulled out damaged perennials and planted shrubs and flowers. Finally, one evening, I finished. Early the next morning, I glanced out a window and noticed dirt on the sidewalk. I had swept everything the night before, so I stepped outside for a closer look and was dumbfounded with what I saw: dozens of plants were gone. Not half-eaten, but gone. 

What do you do about stolen plants? Because it looked like vandalism, I called the police to see if any other yards in the area had been damaged. They sent a policeman who began walking around the neighborhood. Within minutes he was back, motioning for me to follow him. He led me to the backyard of my neighbors, who had just moved in, and there were my brand new plants lining their patio. “I assume these are yours,” he said. When I nodded yes, he knocked on the front door. 

What a way to meet the neighbors, I thought, as horrified parents quickly put two and two together. Moments later, they came marching out with the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen.  Oh no, I thought,  I’ve called the police on a six-year-old

The little girl and some friends had been drawn to my yard by the flowers, and she thought they’d look nice in her yard. When they tugged on the newly planted flowers, they had come up easily. In short order, the little girl and her gang of flower-snatchers had worked their mischief. 

We quickly made amends, but as I planted a new batch of flowers, I couldn’t get an obvious lesson out of my mind: the flowers came up easily because they hadn’t had time to root. So, the question: How deep are your spiritual roots? Are you rooted in the Lord and His gospel, or are you enchanted with the world? If you aren’t rooted in the gospel, the adversary will attempt to uproot you with his equivalent of a six-year-old–meaning, it won’t take much. 

During my life, I have had amazing opportunities as well as crushing disappointments. You can’t be my age and still unmarried without having had agonizing experiences and painful years. It was during one particularly difficult time that I began to understand that the Atonement is not just for sinners–that the Savior not only atoned for our sins but came to heal our broken hearts and to compensate for all of the pain we would ever feel.12 The Savior is filled with the power to forgive us, redeem us, strengthen us, enable us to do things we could never do on our own, and heal us. He will heal us from sin when we repent. He will heal our broken hearts. He will heal the most heart-wrenching grief, and He will turn weakness into strength. 

The Savior is our only chance to resist temptation, to conquer addiction, to compensate for insecurities and fear. He is our only chance to subdue the adversary, to conquer envy, to find enduring peace. He is our only chance to become like He is. 

We gain access to the power of the Atonement by having faith in Jesus Christ, by repenting, by pleading for His help, and by making covenants with Him and then keeping them. Plant the seed of faith in Jesus Christ, and that seed will bear fruit every day of your life. 

Number Five: Plant the Seed of Divine Power 

We can either live our lives alone and attempt to rely solely upon our own talents or we can live our lives with the help of heaven. God actually wants a powerful people, and He has provided ways for both men and women to have access to His highest spiritual privileges and power. 

As early as age eight, a child may receive the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.13 At twelve, a boy may be ordained to the Aaronic priesthood, which holds the “key of the ministering of angels.”14 And, as Elder M. Russell Ballard taught, “When men and women go to the temple, they are both endowed with the same power, which by definition is priesthood power.”15 The temple endowment is a gift of power, and it is also a gift of knowledge to know how to use that power.

The temple is the place where it becomes clear that men and women both have  direct access to God’s power. The temple is  the institution of highest spiritual learning. It is where we may “grow up” in the Lord and receive a “fulness of the Holy Ghost.”16 We emerge from the temple “armed with [the Lord’s] power,” with angels having charge over us,17 and we are promised that “ no combination of wickedness shall have power to... prevail” over those who worship in the house of the Lord.18 Our Father wants a people who have learned how to gain direct access to His power. 

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that “where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness in all these things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord.”19

Every person–and that includes you–who makes covenants and keeps them has the privilege:
          –of opening the heavens and receiving revelation,
          –of receiving all of the ordinances of salvation,
          –of teaching and leading by the Spirit,
          –of understanding the mysteries of the kingdom,
          –of enjoying protection from the adversary,
          –of being strengthened to resist temptation,
          –of learning to part the veil between heaven and earth,
          –of being sealed for time and all eternity and becoming a candidate for exaltation, and 
          –of being blessed by the ministering of angels, particularly if we ask for them to help us.20 

Our Father has given both His sons and His daughters access to His highest spiritual privileges. Plant the seed of regular temple worship. What will you harvest? Divine power. 

Now, to conclude, there is a lesson from the life of President Gordon B. Hinckley that we have perhaps overlooked because it occurred at the end of his life. President Hinckley was a bold leader filled with faith, but there were two things he feared: the first was getting cancer, and the second was losing his wife. His mother, brother, and sister had died of cancer. He feared cancer. And Sister Hinckley was the joy of his life, and he couldn’t imagine life without her. 

But then, in April 2004, Sister Hinckley missed General Conference. In his concluding remarks, President Hinckley acknowledged that she was not well. 

“It is a somber time for me,” he said. “We have been married for 67 years this month. … We’ve walked together side by side through all of these years, coequals and companions through storm and sunshine.”21

Two days later, Sister Hinckley slipped through the veil. President Hinckley was heartbroken and still recovering from the loss when, just nine months later, he was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery, but the cancer had spread. Most assumed that, at the age of 95, he would not submit to treatment, but when he asked his doctors if they could administer chemotherapy to someone his age, they agreed to try. 

One might wonder why he didn’t see his cancer at that age as evidence that it was time to reunite with his wife, but he explained, in words to this effect, “I feel I should do all I can to live as long as I can. Then when death comes, I will know it is the Lord’s will and that I did all I could do.” President Hinckley lived two more years–likely 12 to 18 months longer than he would have otherwise. In January 2008, he passed away. 

In this final act of devotion, President Hinckley set a pattern for  all of us. He demonstrated that, above all, he was determined to do all the Lord had sent him here to do. He modeled the admonition he had given the Church when he said, “We are all in this together. ... Within your sphere of responsibility you have as serious an obligation as do I within my sphere of responsibility. Each of us should be determined to build the kingdom of God on earth and to further the work of righteousness.”22

President Hinckley was a disciple of Jesus Christ who  did as much as he could for as long as he could. Decades earlier, he had begun planting seeds of faith and devotion to the Lord that he harvested in his final days and years.

We each get to choose which seeds we will plant in our lives and in our corner of the vineyard. May we plant the seeds of discipleship, knowledge, revelation, divine power, and faith in Jesus Christ, for those seeds will help us do as much as we can for as long as we can, and they will lead to a harvest of happiness, peace, hope, and true joy. May we immerse ourselves in the gospel of Jesus Christ until our conversion is full and complete.

I testify that no men and women on earth have access to greater privileges or more power than we do. I testify that the Work of Salvation is the happiest work you will ever do. And I testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He is filled with healing and power. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

1. 2 Corinthians 9:6. It is as Job was told: "[T]hey that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same" (Job 4:8).
2. Galatians 6:7
3. D&C 1:38
4. Alma 32:28. Alma also warned, however, that if we plant a seed but then neglect it, "it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away" (Alma 32:38).
5. John 21: 15-17
6. Jeffrey R. Holland, "The First Great Commandment,"  Ensign, November 2012.
7. David A. Bednar, "Converted unto the Lord,"  Ensign, November 2012.
8. 2 Nephi 28:30.
9. Bruce R. McConkie,  A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, Deseret Book, 489.
10. D&C 121:33.
11. D&C 42:61.
12. See Bruce C. Hafen,  The Broken Heart, Deseret Book. 
13. See 1 Nephi 13:37
14. See D&C 84:26.
15. M. Russell Ballard, BYU Education Week address, 20 August 2013.
16. D&C 109: 15.
17. D&C 109: 22.
18. D&C 109: 26. 
19. Bruce R. McConkie, "Our Sisters from the Beginning,"  Ensign, January 1979, 61.
20. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has counseled that when we come up against serious challenges and temptations, we should "ask for angels to help [us]" ("Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul,"  Ensign, May 2010). On another occasion, Elder Holland taught that since the beginning of time, God has sent angels "to bless His children [and] reassure them that heaven was always very close and His help was always very near" ("The Ministry of Angels,"  Ensign, November 2008).
21. Gordon B. Hinckley, "Concluding Remarks,"  Ensign, May 2004, 104.
22. Gordon B. Hinckley, "An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World,"  Ensign, November 2003, 82.