Lessons in Nature

More than just a fruit tree

By: Brandon Page

I enjoy studying with my Aunt Rosahura because she has insights that are different from mine and are often profound. These past few months we have been studying in the New Testament recently and have enjoyed the parables of Jesus where he talks about gardening because my aunt is an avid gardener herself. There is a part where the Savior is teaching about repentance and is comparing our efforts to repent to good fruit on trees. It is essential that we repent or produce good fruits so that through our Savior, the gap that sin creates between Him and us can be bridged. However, my aunt found another principle from her love of trees. She said that although a tree doesn’t produce fruit, it doesn’t mean it should be cast into the fire. Trees also provide shade and beautify the landscape. I thought that was really sweet and it reminded me that we all have a divine worth and something worthwhile to give whether that be shade, fruit or refining the air quality through photosynthesis. The Savior reflected similar care when describing another vineyard where he talked about how a servant asks the master of the vineyard to wait a while before cutting down some fig trees so that he could care for them a little more and give them time to develop and produce fruit. In a similar way, our Savior pleads our cause and diligently seeks to help us find peace in Him and become whole again so that we can return to live with Him again.

Jesus’s Parable of the Fig Tree

By: Nadia Mando

I really caught on to the invitation by President Nelson to study the Easter stories leading up to Sunday.

Here’s a cool study I had!

Matthew 21:19

“And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”

Jesus Christ cursing the fig tree to me embodies what I have been learning about in feeding unhelpful thoughts or patterns of behavior.

If we replace the fig tree with rumination or self deprecation or an addiction we see that they are just as fruitless in giving us what we want out of life as the tree.

Christ gives a beautiful example of not putting His energy into something that bears no fruit. He doesn’t dwell on, cultivate, think about or ruminate on a tree that never give Him want He really wants.

Important note: He doesn’t ignore them either or pretend the tree doesn’t exist. He acknowledges it but, doesn’t stick around to see if it’ll change.

It was a beautiful lesson to me to water the trees that do bear fruit such as: gratitude, interconnectedness, self compassion and any other positive psychology strategy.

An additional insight is the beautiful promise that the fig tree “presently withered away”. The thoughts that you don’t feed, don’t grow.

I love the reminder from Christ on how to cultivate the garden of our mind and to trust that what we grow will give us the orchard we yearn for.

The Blessings of Pruning

Last semester I had a point where I had to decide whether I would withdraw from one of my classes and it was stressful because I felt like withdrawing was a sign of laziness or that I was not trying hard enough, but I ended up deciding to withdraw from the class. Afterwards I felt relieved but I did not quite feel peace about my choice yet. Later that day on my way back home I was talking to my friend Gideon and I recounted my experience and the decision I had taken, and he said that my choice was good and that I was pruning my life. In that moment the Holy Ghost testified to me that my choice had been the right one and I pondered the frase pruning my life. My life was feeling just like when a tree has too many branches. I was unable to produce quality fruit and the weight of the branches was starting to damage my effectiveness to grow and thrive.

Removing this class at this time helped me to be able to succeed in all of my other classes and have time to take care of myself. I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares about us, and as we turn to Him we can overcome all of the challenges that may arise in this life.

Questions to Ponder:

• How have you seen God’s hand in your life today?
• What might you be able to prune in your life that could help you grow closer to God?

Extra Resources: