I love to garden, not only because I adore flowers, but because the act of gardening teaches me so many things about life. Growing plants is much like raising children but there is more; gardening helps me to slow down and put things into perspective.

Recently we had a bit of a crisis in the garden. The spigot I turn on and off to allow water to flow through the hose I use to give my plants life-giving water, broke.

It had not been working for quite some time. In fact, it had been leaking quite a lot for years. My husband and I went to the hardware store and purchased a new spigot some years ago. However, when we got it home, we realized that we would need to actually cut a hole in the wall of the house and cut the pipe, the one the spigot was attached to, in order to make the switch from the old, leaky spigot to the new one.

Believing that the repair was too hard for our limited skills and not having the money to pay a plumber, we chose to ignore the problem.

Soon, the leaking became worse.  When I turned it on, the spigot would spray water in all directions. My way of dealing with this was to fit a bucket up under the spigot, held in place by the air conditioning unit just below, and to use the water that accumulated in the bucket to water the larger plants in my garden. I chose to use this system for a number of years, in spite of the fact that it was heavy and burdensome which caused pain in my shoulders and elbows.

Then, one day last week, the problem became a crisis and could no longer be ignored. The spigot broke so that it could not be turned off and water sprayed all over the yard at great speed. We had no choice but to cut off the water supply to our house and make a trip to the hardware store. In the end, we were faced with the same choice; buy a new spigot, make a hole in the wall and cut the pipe so the new spigot could be properly attached. Since this is not our area of expertise, it took a great deal of effort on our part including hours spent without water to our house, to achieve this repair, but we did it!

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After it was all done and I was enjoying watering my garden without needing to heave that heavy, water-filled bucket around the yard, I chided myself for not making the repair earlier. How could I have not done what needed to be done so long ago? It took a full-blown crisis before we were willing—forced—to address the problem. In the end, we were able to do it—it was only our fear that got in our way in the past.

I reflected on how often our choices in life are dictated by fear. How often do we refrain from doing something because we are afraid we will fail or that it will be too hard or that our efforts will all be in vain?

Sin is like a heavy bucket filled with water, water we do NOT need to carry around. Repair is like repentance, something we are often afraid to attempt because it might be hard or too much will be asked of us—or we fear that it will avail us not.

In the New Testament of the Bible, 2 Peter 3:9, we read:  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Knowing that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, wants us to repent, how can we fail?

The post A Mormon Woman’s Reflections on Gardening . . . and Repentance appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Brenda

When I was five years old, my mother took me to a local shoe store to pick out new shoes for Kindergarten. I remember they were white and blue leather hush puppies with unbelievably white laces. I loved them. After purchasing the shoes and guiding my siblings and I into our blue Chevy Malibu we drove home only to find that my new shoes weren’t in the car. My mom was frantic because she suspected that she had put the shoes on the roof of the car to help the kids get into their seat belts. We retraced our way back and forth to the store and back several times to try and find the shoes on the road, but my shoes were gone.

My mother started crying. Hysterically. She said that my Grandma had given her the money for me to get new shoes and that we did not have any money to replace them. I was stunned.

That was the first time I realized that my parents were struggling. I remember hearing tense conversations between my mom and dad from time to time. I watched my dad sell his nice car. Despite these ripples of discontent, my world was still very peaceful. The evidence of my parents’ heartbreak was minimal and was very carefully shielded from us.

Now I know that my Dad’s business had failed and they had lost everything but their home. My mother recalls from this time of her life, “We had no credit. At one point there was only $11 in our account and no hope of money coming in. We survived on our stored canned foods, having no money for fresh fruit or vegetables.”

I still like canned pork and beans and peaches to this day.

My Dad spun his wheels trying to make money for the family. He tried direct sales and was a salesman of solar heating systems for a while. Then he worked for a sign company based in Idaho who had him sell signs in the Bay Area. One day, they called to say they were closing their California office immediately but there were still signs that needed to be installed. My dad, who had never, ever hung a sign before asked, “Can I install those final signs for you?” They said yes. When he came home to tell my mom of his plan told her, “I can do this. I know I can do this.”

Since this tragedy, my parents have lived within their means, worked hard, obtained more education and licensing, built up a savings and live by a budget. (They were probably living this way before, but life can be unfair.) My dad has never driven a car as fancy as the one he sold when I was young and has been diligent in teaching his children the value of work and in maintaining their credit scores.

Decades later, my husband and I now own that same small sign installation company that my dad started on the back of that Chevy Malibu years ago. We have been blessed by my Dad’s willingness to sacrifice for his small family and try something new. (He had previously been a partner in a company where his main function was accounting.) Undoubtedly the principles of self-reliance were taught to my parents by their parents as my parents have taught me. But it is also part of our culture. Mormons believe in being self-reliant.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hosts a website on the topic of Self-Reliance.

On that website are a few quotes I found helpful;

Self-reliance is a simple concept that encourages each of us to take responsibility for our own needs—physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and economic.

Julie B. Beck, General Relief Society President for the Church explains,

“We become self-reliant, through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being.”

And finally, Robert D. Hales, an apostle of Jesus Christ outlines ways to be self-reliant:

Be ready for rainy-day emergencies
Avoid excessive debt; be content with what we have
Use the resources of the earth wisely; don´t be wasteful
Prepare for the future by making spending and savings plans
Keep a family or personal budget
Teach children wise spending habits and help them save for the future
Obtain an education or vocational training
Find gainful employment

In summary, Elder Hales says that being self reliant is “Preparing for the ups and downs of life.”

To learn more about self-reliance, please visit the church’s websites.

Self Reliance

Provident Living

Family Finance

Such principles as food storage, emergency preparedness, family budgeting and home gardening can be explored at these websites. In my own life, I have found a lot of peace by following these principles. When I review these materials, I always find ways I can improve. Maybe I’ll start a garden this year…… What will you do to prepare for the ups and downs of life?

The post We Believe: In Self-Reliance appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament, Jesus says that if we only have as much faith as the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.

I love gardening, and was thinking about faith when I planted some carrots recently. Have you seen a carrot seed before? They are tiny. If you have some carrot seeds in your palm and even a light breeze blows, you might lose some if you’re not careful. It’s hard to pick up just one or two seeds by pinching your fingers together; they’re that small.

When I was poking little holes in the dirt in my backyard, and trying my best to put just two or three seeds in each hole, I thought about what these seeds would be by the end of the summer. From these teeny seeds to beautiful, substantial roots in just months. It’s a miracle, really. Each time I plant seeds in my garden, I worry a bit. I go outside each day to water, and feel hope mixed with anxiety. Will the seeds sprout? Will enough seeds turn to plants that bear a decent harvest? What could I do to help them along?

Then, between a handful of days to two weeks, I can usually count on going outside to visit my garden, and seeing little leaves trying to push their way through the dirt, making their way to the son. Yeah! They did it! Each time I see it is exciting. It never gets old, it never loses the excitement.

Some months, it’s easier for me to feel faithful, hopeful. The connection between my Heavenly Father and me seems clear and continuous. Other seasons, exercising faith doesn’t feel natural. It’s more work, and can even be discouraging. I have to remind myself why I pray, why it’s important to nurture my testimony, why I should read my scriptures. Sometimes I just long for a testimony much larger than the one I carry at the time. I want to feel closer to my Savior, know more about His words and teachings than I do. It’s then that I remind myself about the seed analogy – all I need right now is as much faith as a small seed, and to nurture that seed. It will grow.

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