Years ago, when we were landscaping
the yard of our new home, my father,
who owned a hardware store, asked me if I would like some
rose bushes that he had for sale at a very discounted price.
It was an offer I couldn't refuse.
I thought that roses would look very nice
next to the white rail fence that bordered our front yard.
I bought over twenty rose bushes.
We live close to the base of Rock Canyon, which means
that there is very little soil and a lot of rocks.
Kevin took on the arduous task of digging the holes
for the roses.
Due to the difficulty of digging,
we decided to dig the holes just big enough
to pour enough soil to surround the roots of the roses.
Not really the ideal amount of soil,
but given the situation, we hoped it would be adequate,
and it turns out, it was.
Our roses thrived.
We really didn't do too much to them.
They were watered whenever the lawn was watered,
they received plenty of sunshine and happily, they did well
in our yard, rocks and all.
Normally, I would prune them as soon as it looked like
they needed it.
One year, however, I waited longer than usual
to prune them— about a month longer.
The roses already had quite a bit of new growth on them,
but I decided to prune them anyway.
When I was finished, there wasn't much left.
I had cut them back drastically, much more than I usually did,
but I was pleased with the results.
Who knew that pruning roses a month later than usual
and drastically at that, would have
unexpected consequences?
Immediately after pruning, I had several people tell me
that it was too late in the season for cutting roses
and that I had cut them back too much.
Initially, it didn't bother me, but pretty soon I began
to believe them.
I started to feel like I had done something
I shouldn't have.
I started to doubt my decision.
I was sorry I had cut my roses.
I remember one man asking me incredulously
"What have you done?
Do you realize that you won't have roses this year?"
And a woman in our neighborhood who had a lovely garden quipped,
"You shouldn't have cut them so late and so much!"
and then she added, "Oh well, we live and we learn."
I felt terrible.
I believed I had ruined my roses!
At that point I did the only thing
I could think of doing: I called my mother!
I knew she would help me feel better.
She was a gardener.
She had roses.
I told her about the terrible thing I had done!
And, to my pleasant surprise, she assured me that I hadn't
done anything wrong.
She advised me to go to a nursery and buy
a book on roses and I would find that I hadn't ruined them.
I did as she suggested.
I bought a book on roses and was relieved to find out
that I hadn't ruined them.
In fact, I read that when pruning roses
you should cut them back "severely."
I definitely had cut my roses back "severely."
The book was very helpful.
It taught me that the only way I could ruin the roses
was to pull them out of the ground,
stop watering them, or prevent them from getting sunlight.
Now I had two sources of assurance: my mother
and my rose book.
Even though I had some reassurance that my rose bushes
would be fine, I was still a little sensitive
and skeptical.
I really hoped they would grow back,
but there remained some doubt in my mind,
doubt that was reinforced by continued negative
assessments from my neighbors.
I anxiously checked on my roses every day,
looking for any kind of growth.
Finally, I saw growth and I was thrilled
that I hadn't ruined my roses after all.
I don't know why I worried so much.
I hadn't pulled them out by the roots,
I hadn't stopped watering them and they were receiving
plenty of sunshine.
Eventually, there were fully bloomed roses
in my yard again.
A month later than normal, but there were roses!
Although the experience with the roses was not critical
to my salvation, I did learn two important lessons.
The first lesson is to not doubt
what you know to be true.
Sometimes we allow ourselves to listen and believe things
we know that are contrary to what we know to be true.
When others question our beliefs,
we may start to panic and begin to doubt.
For several years I had pruned my roses,
and they had grown each time without fail.
And then the year I did it a little differently,
people who were well-intended essentially told me
that what I believed to be right, was actually wrong.
I began to believe them.
An episode of Studio C demonstrates this.
Matt is a contestant on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"
and has made it to the final question.
You may have seen this.
If Matt answers correctly, he will win one million dollars.
The host asks Matt's wife what they will do with the money
if Matt wins and she responds that it will go
toward helping orphans in third world countries.
With that, the final question is given.
The question is "Who was the 26th President
of the United States?"
Among the four choices
are Theodore Roosevelt and George Washington.
Matt is certain that it's not George Washington.
He knows that George Washington was the first President
of the United States.
Matt thinks the answer is Theodore Roosevelt,
but to be certain, he polls the audience.
One hundred percent of the audience,
which includes Matt's wife, chooses George Washington.
He apologizes to the audience and his wife and tells them
that he really doesn't think it was George Washington.
Matt then is able to phone his sister for help.
She just happens to be a professor of history.
Matt is confident that she will know.
But, immediately, his sister answers
that it was George Washington.
Frustrated, Matt tells them that they are all wrong,
that this is basic history, everyone knows
that George Washington was the first President.
Throughout the entire segment the host continually asks Matt
"Are you sure?"
whenever Matt says
that he is certain about his decision.
There is a lot at stake and Matt is starting to succumb
to the pressure and waning in his confidence.
Let's watch.
Alright, well a minute ago, it seemed like you'd ruled out
Washington completely.
Yeah, but that was before your little light show
and the music and everyone telling me
I'm wrong.
I don't know what I know anymore.
No, no, it has to be Roosevelt.
My answer is Roosevelt.
Are you sure?
Think about the orphans, Matt!
You are the devil, Regis!
We need an answer!
I gave you one,
but you keep making me doubt myself!
What is your final answer?
D.
George Washington.
That's incorrect.
I'm sorry.
While Matt's plight may be unbelievable,
it illustrates why President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
once implored, "My dear brothers and sisters,
"please, first doubt your doubts
before you doubt your faith."
That is invaluable advice for growing roses
and even more so for growing our testimonies of the gospel.
The second lesson is that the simple things are often
the most important things.
It didn't take long for me to realize
that it wasn't important how or when I cut my roses.
All they needed to thrive and bloom were a few
simple things, such as water, sunshine, and proper drainage
for their roots.
It didn't matter what advice I was given or followed on
how to care for my roses, as long as those simple needs
were met.
In today's world, we are bombarded with so much
information about so many things that we may lose sight
of what is most important and become overly concerned
with things that don't ultimately matter.
We may even begin to doubt revelations we have had.
It's important at those times to remember the simple things
that helped us develop our testimonies and to trust
that focusing on those things will ensure that we stay
on the right path.
If we seriously engage in daily scripture study
and prayer, and if we regularly attend
our meetings and serve others, we can, and must,
trust that God will let us know what we need to do
at critical times in our lives.
Sometimes we make things more complicated
than they need to be.
We need to not worry too much about the details of our lives.
As Elder Bednar has observed, "No member of this church
"who is trying to be good will fail to be warned
"by the Holy Ghost if they are heading in a direction
that is not right."
As we focus on the basics, the water, sun, and drainage
of spiritual things, the other things will work out.
As the New Year begins, I hope you can trust yourself
and trust God, that as you act on what
you know to be true and focus on the basic things that enable
your knowledge to grow, God will make your life more
beautiful than any roses.
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.