Sprouting Me

I've been learning to sprout these last couple of weeks. I've got almonds, alfalfa, broccolli and mung (sounds scary, right?) beans soaking in my cupboard as I type. I've learned that by soaking seeds and nuts you literally bring them to life. They suddenly explode with enzymes that help your body use and digest the food you give it and vitamins that put their plant couterparts to shame. It is exciting to me that for so little effort I can get such huge pay-outs of nutrition just by adding water and time. I'm also psyched that my kids LOVE them, too. So I won't have to tie them to their chairs at lunch time to get them to swallow all of this "good stuff."

And so as I was rinsing my seeds this morning, I thought how interesting it is that everything temporal in this life is also spiritual. Everything typifies and testifies of Christ, even these little seeds. I was thinking about how adding this water brings these seeds to life, just as adding "Living water"--the Savior and his words and his prophets--brings us and our spirits to life. We literally change from dried out-dead people, to living, working disciples of Christ.

But, there is a catch. You can't just get one huge washout of living water and be good forever. Just like the sprouts where twice a day you have to rinse them, we have to have our daily dose of living water through scripture study, prayer and pondering. Neglect the sprouts and they will rot or die. Neglect our spirits and they will too.

Conference (2 weekends ago) was like living water to me. My spirit was filled and I literally felt like exploding. I only wanted to do good and to be the kind of person, wife, mother, neighbor God wanted me to be. There were so many great things in conference this time but one that stuck out that I knew I needed was to make my home more of a temple. I loved Elder Stevenson's talk who had you take a virtual tour through your home and see how your home resembled or didn't resemble the temple. In most ways, I felt happy as I took that tour, but when it came to the TV I knew we could do some improvement. Amazingly, and gratefully, I had been inspired the week before conference to actually get rid of a show that we were watching every week as a family, and this just confirmed that decision more. I loved how Elder Bednar suggested reading scriptures about the temple. As I studied them, I tried to apply them to my home:

1 Kings 9:3: I have hallowed this house . . . to put my name, my heart, and mine eyes there forever.

Psalms 24:3 Who shall stand in holy places?

Isaiah 2:3 . . .he will teach us of his ways (Whose ways were being taught in my home--His or the world's?)

Jer. 7:13 I spake unto you, rising up early. . . but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not (Could I wake up a little earlier and study my scriptures when He is trying to call me?)

Ezek 43:4 The Glory of the Lord filled the house. (I want his glory to fill my house.)

I am grateful for living Prophets today who give us living water to bring us back to life.