Shoots of Proof

     In The Book of Mormon:  Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the prophet Alma the Younger teaches us how faith grows.  He states exercising faith in a true principle will cause a swelling within our breasts and enlightenment to our understanding.  What is this swelling and enlightenment?

     Alma uses a metaphor to describe it.  He compares truth, particularly the truth of the word of God, to a seed.  He states, “Therefore, if a seed growth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.  And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.”  (Alma 32:32-33)

     This imagery Alma is drawing makes me think of gardening.  In the springtime, gardeners plow a spot for their garden.  They then plant individual seeds throughout the plot of land, specifically selecting where they want each type of plant to grow.  They typically know just how many seeds they plant, where they are planted, and what they expect to get from these plants.

     After they’ve planted these seeds, attentive gardeners devote a lot of time to nurturing these plants.  They water them as often as needed.  They weed the garden, ensuring no unwanted plants come in to choke out the good crops.  They provide extra nourishment in the form of fertilizer when the plants need it.  And they watch and wait for the fruits of their labor.

     If the gardener has planted a good seed and nourished it well, it won’t be long before the gardener sees little shoots of growth peeking forth out of the ground.  I’ve been in this situation before, and I know how exciting it is to see this growth.  Bad seeds on the other hand never bring forth these little shoots of growth.

     Now bring this metaphor drawn by Alma back to truth and knowledge.  The first step is giving a place in your soul for the seeds of truth.  You must open up your mind and be willing to learn.  There was a time when the people of the world believed the sun revolved around the earth.  Though Aristarchus, Copernicus, and several others taught otherwise, several people resisted the possibility the earth could actually revolve around the sun.  Though it was true, these people were not willing to accept it as possible.  They wouldn’t give a place for the seed, so it would never grow in them and they would never have this knowledge.

     After giving place for the seed, you must plant it and nourish it.  If everybody around you tells you there are constellations in the night sky, you can believe it’s true.  But if you never figure out what these constellations are supposed to be, never figure out where you might find them in the night sky, or never look up and find your first constellation, you’ll never have any support for this possibility.  So you simply must nourish possible truths with knowledge.

     Then, if the seed is good, or the knowledge is true, you’ll see a little shoot of proof.  You’ll see pictures of a constellation on the Internet or in a book, you’ll find out where it is supposed to be, and you’ll find it in the night sky.  Finally you’ll get to the point you will have the swelling within your breast, the enlightenment to your mind.

     The swelling within your breast and the enlightenment to your understanding that Alma speaks of is really this confirmation of truth.  If something is true, you will get this confirmation through some method.  It always comes.

     The problem we run into at this point is the difference in methods of receiving the confirmation.  Some truths are confirmed by simply seeing the evidence of its truth, such as the constellations in the night sky.  You have to work to find it at first, but you can actually see it with your own eyes and confirm it’s true. 

     Some truths are confirmed through the senses of touch, smell, and sound.  You know trains make loud noises because you’ve heard it.  You know poopy diapers stink because you’ve smelled them.  You know a fire is hot because you’ve felt it.

     But there are truths that are hard to confirm.  How do you know the earth revolves around the sun?  You haven’t seen it.  You haven’t touched the two and felt how the earth moves around the sun.  You certainly can’t smell it or hear it?  So how do you know?  Yet you know it is true.  For me, that knowledge came because I was shown evidence in school that made sense and confirmed it was true.

     Faith in God and many of the truths of His gospel falls into this more difficult category of truth.  Few people hear the voice of God in their ears as they would their friends.  Few people have the opportunity to touch the prints of the nails in the hands of Jesus.  And few people get the opportunity to see Him.  So what shoots of evidence are given to prove their faith in God is a good seed?

     Years ago, when I was a teenage boy of 15, I wanted some hard evidence that God existed.  I spent hours praying for this proof, this hard evidence.  After several months had passed and I hadn’t received my hard evidence, I finally became frustrated and decided to protest to God.

     I distinctly remember that I was at work on the dairy farm I worked at.  Almost all of the cows had been milked and it was time to feed them.  So, I went out to the stack of hay in front of the feeder to feed them.  As I started pushing the bales of hay from the top of the stack, I started to pray in frustration. 

     My exact words during this prayer were, “Heavenly Father, I know thou art there.  I know thou art listening to me pray and that thou canst hear me asking for proof that thou art there.  And I know thou hast the power to answer my prayers.  So why won’t you prove to me that thou art there?”

     At that moment I received an answer.  I didn’t see God.  I didn’t hear His voice calling from above and telling me He was there.  And I didn’t see any great miracle proving He was there.  Instead I felt a small impression enter my soul.  Several years have passed, and the memory of that small impression has faded a little with time.  But the impression left a distinct and simple remark upon my mind that I can still remember.  That remark was, “Exactly, you already know.” 

     The truth was I did already know God existed and I felt quite silly at the moment I received that impression for having demanded some proof of something I already knew.  Yet at that moment, I was exercising faith in the possibility of an answer, and I received one.  I saw the shoot of proof that God existed and that He answers prayers. 

     I’ve had several opportunities to receive shoots of proof about the truths of God since that time.  I’ve learned that I receive these shoots of proof through that same method, a simple impression.  For you it may be different.  But if it is true, you will receive a shoot of proof that serves as enlightenment to your understanding or a swelling within your breast.