"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10).

Some days, when it rains, mud appears. It happens. Mud gets on my boots, my clothes, and then my floor and I don't even know it. So, I have to clean. But there are benefits to mud and rain. As I walked home the other day, there were tiny buds poking their heads out of the ground, through the mud, indicating that spring is about to come. Hallelujah! I need spring. Spring means flowers, warmer weather, and more sunshine. It also means rebirth. I love seeing these buds coming out of the ground after their rest all winter long. As I have pondered this, I think it is a perfect metaphor for life. We all have cycles of good days, bad days, periods of rest and rejuvenation, also rebirth and growth. There is no getting around it, it's part of life to have to go through the "winter" of life in order to enjoy the "spring" of life.

The prophet Isaiah said, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10). Every stage of life is a process and has to be done in order. Gratefully, rain and mud and dung help in this process. Dung is the "fertilizer" that gives us the strength and wisdom to learn and know the difference between right and wrong, truth and error. And we get to do this! We don't have to do it. All the steps are important so that we can the bread that comes from the process, "eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days" (D&C 64:34)

The Savior said, as He has taken care of His vineyard, (the vineyard being symbolic of His people): "Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh" (Jacob 5:47). He cares for and nourishes us, even fertilizing us with dung. Sometimes, the "dung" in our lives is awful, smelly, terrible and very difficult to deal with. Dung isn't something we want to lay around in, but there is always a purpose. Dung as a fertilizer makes us stronger, healthier, and more vibrant. Without fertilizer, eventually plants don't get the nourishment they need and aren't strong enough to withstand the trials and challenges that come their way. Too much dung can also have the same effect and make us weak. We don't need to go around looking for dung to walk in and bring it into our homes, adding an extra burden to our already overloaded garden of life. But sometimes we step in it and we have to clean it up. Dung is part of life...we can choose to wallow in it or clean it up and throw it out where it belongs.

Rest is definitely needed, probably even more than we get in our fast paced, busy lives. In the vineyard, there is a time to rest. Spring reminds me that rest is a good thing. It's funny that winter isn't the reminder of that, but spring is. As these tiny buds are poking their heads out of the ground they are waking up from a long winters rest. We are all seeking to "enter into His rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of His glory" (D&C 84:24). When we are in the "rest of the Lord" the prophet Joseph F. Smith taught:

 “The ancient prophets speak of ‘entering into God’s rest’; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. … The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into ‘God’s rest,’ … rest from doubt, from fear, from apprehension of danger, rest from the religious turmoil of the world” (Gospel Doctrine, 58; see also Matthew 11:28–30)" (New Testament Teacher Resource Manual, (2002), 223–25).

Just as the tiny buds need the "snow from heaven" to water them and they in turn give us beauty and joy, our lives too need water, "that [we] might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Christ said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). As we "drink" of His water, it will fill us up, bringing forth "the fruit of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5:22). Who doesn't need more of that kind of fruit in their lives these days? I know I sure do. This spring we can drink of His water through small acts of kindness, feeling His love spread as the buds of love push their way through the mud and make a wonderful garden in our lives. Gratefully, we have a new day, every day to keep trying, to work in our "garden of life" and keep "pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ" (see 2 Nephi 31:20), planting seeds of faith (see Alma 33:1) and try again.

I love spring. I love the signs of new life, of hope, of rebirth popping out of the ground all around us at this time of year. Every day is a new day, for all things "are the typifying of [Christ]" (2 Nephi 11:4). Christ lives! And we can too can live with renewed faith in Him, every day, a little at a time, just as the tiny buds push their way up through the mud and grow into a beautiful garden. Gratefully we only have to do it one day at a time. This I testify is His way, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma  37:6).

"...The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Last night, for Family Home Evening, or FHE (click here to learn more about FHE) our 12 year old son said he had a good idea and wanted to be in charge of it. He was well prepared and we gathered rather late (9:40pm), but it was well worth it. His idea was to have everyone share a talent, 2 minutes or less. We opened with a Primary song (you can find many to choose from here) and said a prayer to begin. This is what the talents were: Dad- flipped a coin on his wrist. Also demonstrated how to twirl numb-chucks using a towel. Mom- blew her nose and can make it "honk" and then danced to "I will Survive", a 30 second short.  Our 9 year old son- walked "weird" on his knees by tucking his feet into his pants. He did many variations of this unusual talent. He tried to show off his belching talents but that happened during his older brothers talents. Our 15 year old son- demonstrated his talent of yo-yo-ing. (Pretty complicated stuff! You can view his video on YouTube here). He displayed some new tricks. Our 12 year old- did boon-doggling or plastic string without looking for 2 minutes and completed a key chain with his younger brothers name on it. And our soon to be 17 year old daughter- showed off her talent of making her head disappear into her sweatshirt, twice. We all laughed and laughed. We had so much fun together. It felt so good to spend this time together and enjoy each other's "talents". We ended with another song, a prayer and sited the scripture, "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God" (Alma 37:35).

The feeling in our home when we were finished was incredible. We were filled with joy and love for one another. The power that comes through having Family Home Evening was tangible. It strengthens ones family. It brings in a spirit of joy and happiness. We are taught by our prophets, "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities" (The Family Proclamation italics added). When we have good fun together, the Spirit is present and brings the "fruit of the Spirit" which are: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). These feelings from the Spirit feel so good. What's so wonderful is "...all things which are good cometh of God" (Moroni 7:12) and "that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually...every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve Him, is inspired of God" (Moroni 7:13). This is how we can strengthen our families, how we teach them, how we guide them. We invite them and entice them to do good continually. We don't manipulate or coerce them. Christ's way is charity, and "charity never faileth" (Moroni 7:46). We love and lead and invite. We show them the good that is in Christ by the way Christ does everything for us, through love.

The "fruit of the Spirit" can be felt anywhere when we are choosing the good. You don't have to just be in church or some "spiritual/religious" activity. We need to understand that "all things unto [the Lord] are spiritual, and not at any time [has He] given unto [us] a law which was temporal" (D&C 29:34). Everything that is "good" draws us closer to Him and allows us to feel His Spirit more.

The Lord wants us to "come unto Him" in all things. What better place than in our homes, with our families, having a good time together, for us to "feel after Him...[for] He is not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27). President Monson said, "Family Home Evening, we cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program" (Constant Truths for Changing Times). When we have FHE on a regular basis our homes will be filled with "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23). This is Christ's power that will strengthen, lift, and help nurture, and protect our families. This I testify.