Have you ever tried to pull up a tree stump? It's not easy, depending on the size. You have to dig around it and dig through the little holes under the roots, and you have to cut some places to loosen it up; it is quite the workout if it is a large tree. It's so hard because the roots are spread out in a wide area under the ground and you have to dig it all up. The more spread out the roots are, the bigger the tree and the harder it is to pull it up. On the other hand, the smaller the roots, the less spread out they are, and the easier they are to pull it up. Now that you know a little bit about trees, exciting as they are, let us tie that in to the gospel of Jesus Christ.A person with little faith, with a small root system in the gospel, will fall away into darkness easier than one with great faith and a large root system. As we exercise our faith, as we ponder the words of life, and as we come unto Christ, our root system will grow. As we fall into temptation, as we turn away from the Light of Christ, and as we ignore the promptings of the Holy Ghost, our roots will wither away. If we are strong in our faith, we will be strengthened, for "when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo" (Helamen 5:12).
I know that as our faith grow deeper and deeper in the gospel of Christ, it will be harder and harder for the adversary to uproot us. Let us continue to nourish our faith, that it may "be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41).
My love,
Elder Brennan Edwards
