The Holy Ghost carries truth to our hearts (2 Ne 33)

When I was still a very young child growing up in Hong Kong, I experimented planting a bean.  Planting soil wasn't exactly readily available, neither did we have the space to have a full potted plant.  My little bean plant consisted of a paper cup, a fold of cotton that is wet and one bean placed in the middle of the cotton.  My daily task was to simply keep the cotton moist and place it next to our window to catch some sun.  The bean sprouted and grew a good 6 inches tall.  Then for one reason or another, I stopped my routine of keeping the cotton moist everyday.  Needless to say, the cotton dried, the bean plant wilted within a day or two and it was tossed in the garbage.

In 2 Nephi 33:1, Nephi talks about "when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men".  What do you think that means?  Have you ever testify of something either to a friend or in a testimony meeting and you can feel the Spirit as you are testifying.  And then shortly afterwards, either by your thoughts or through your heart, that you end up walking away feeling your testimony has grown a little bit?  In verse 2, Nephi then points out the exact opposite scenario that when we harden our hearts, then our hearts will have no place for the Holy Ghost.  He warned that we would then start casting aside things written and considering them "as things of naught" (nothing).  Nephi was referring to the scriptures but I think the definition can extend to our testimony as Paul appropriately says to the Corinthians "written not with ink . . . but in fleshy tables of the heart".

Isn't our testimony very much like that bean plant I planted?  Alma speak of this similarly later on regarding faith.  What have you done to maintain your "bean plant"?  Do you cherish it?  How do you "water" it?  Do you share it?  According to Nephi, as we speak of truth, the Holy Ghost will carry it to your hearts.  Have you felt that?

And conversely, do we sometimes forget to "moisten the cotton" and let it try up a bit?  How is that equivalent to forsaking our testimony?  If the dried up cotton represents our harden hearts, what will eventually happen to our testimony according to Nephi?  How does me throwing my wilted plant in to the garbage compares to what Nephi said about cast things away . . . as thing of naught?

TASK:

1. Pull either of your parents aside (or both) and share with them your testimony.  It can be about anything no matter how big or a small of a testimony it is. The key is that it has to be sincere and it doesn't have to be complicated.  It can be as simple as I know that the Savior lives.  The point of the exercise is even though you may only be, for example, 85% sure of what you testified to your parents.  Pay a real close attention to how you are feeling as you are testifying. Then later on in the day, maybe before you go to bed and reflect on that moment again.  Did the Holy Ghost carried truth to your hearts?  Did the Holy Ghost teach you something or brought to your remembrance something that you didn't realize before regarding your testimony?  Did that 85% testimony turn to 86%?  or maybe even 85.1%?  Write down how you felt in the comments (if it is too personal then write it down in your journals . . . just acknowledge in the comments that you did it is sufficient).