A Seed to be Planted

We are taught that "through small and simple things do great things come to pass" and that the seed of faith will grow if we plant it in good soil. As I was sharing my essay I was hoping that my testimony of these things would be true. My essay is about my friends and so it only seemed fitting to me for me to share it with them.

I texted Austin a few weeks ago and asked him what he would think if I wrote an essay about our group of friends. We hadn't really talked in a while and so his response was simply, "If you want to". So it was only fitting for me to text him last week and tell him to check his facebook. He followed the link I had sent to him and after reading my essay he responded telling me it was great but not really saying much more about it. I thought that was the end of it because I didn't want to force it onto him (he doesn't take that kind of stuff well) but a few hours later he messaged me again with a picture and we started talking and catching up a bit. It was really nice to get to talk to my friend again and it shows that friendship will always be there if we continue to reach out in whatever form.

My best friend Erynn read my essay in some of it's earliest drafts. She is always so positive and complimentary that it felt safe to share it with throughout the process. She hadn't read the finished project when I shared it on her wall. Along with the link I thanked her for her help along the way.We talk about the essay every once in a while in passing. I'm not sure if it was because of my sharing that on her wall or simply because she is such a close friend but everyday since the day I shared that we've been texting each other motivational pictures to get us through finals week. It is always a relief to look at my phone and see one of those little messages from her. I am so grateful I got to share it with her and she says she really enjoyed reading it.

My friend Lance struggles with depression and has had more than one girlfriend who has used him and it wasn't necessarily the best position for him to be in. He recently decided to change his life, which for him and his stubbornness is an extremely difficult thing to do. We've shared our writings with each other since high school and we're very supportive of each other. Now that we're both off at college we don't talk as much but try to catch up at least once a week. He never understood why I was always so invested in the gospel, though he is also a member his testimony has struggled like any young adults would. I shared not just my essay but the entire website with him and asked him to read a couple of the essays, especially Mandy's in hopes that he would realize that deciding to change his life and pulling away from those people who were doing him harm would help him move forward with his life and really change. I'm not sure how he took it but he liked the post on his wall so I think it was a good idea.

Though I shared my essay and the entire website with a few more people these responses where typical of what I saw happen. It was a bit discouraging. I went into this feeling optimistic and excited to share the gospel in this new form but after a bit of sharing I began to get disappointed. I then remembered about faith, and that simply planting a seed can do so much. So this project has helped my testimony grow that perhaps through my sharing of simply things more and more people will be exposed to the gospel and it is  my hope is that as a result of that more people's hearts will be open to that.