Seeds

I have been thinking about seeds lately. More and more I think that whatever a person really thinks about, he will become. I already knew this, and have heard many addresses about it, but I am thinking about how true it really is lately.

Whatever thought we let stay in our mind is what we will become. Pretty much, if we have any thought enter our head and we don't chase it out or dwell we become that thought. Likewise, if we have a good thought, and we don't dwell on it we will not become what that thought is.

A few instances for example: if a person has a thought to become better, to change their life, and the thought enters their head, they have a choice. Either they can make themselves think about it until they figure it out or they can have it escape their heads. For an example, let's say someone has the thought enter their head "I don't feel the Spirit when I do ______" This person has two options (maybe more, but you know what I mean). They can either think about that thought until they choose not to do that action again, or they can just brush it off. When people brush off promptings like that they are in trouble. But if they choose to do something about it, and they think about it until they realize that they need to change and commit to change, that is when they receive power to change. The seed of a thought, if nourished, can produce a mighty change.

Another example: I think this is very applicable to homosexuality. I spend a good deal of time with people that are very . . . seemingly backwoodsy. If anyone does something strange they say it is gay or something a "homo thing to do." It is rather ridiculous. But I think if a kid is growing up and he may be a little more feminine than others (or what we consider to be feminine) he is labeled as gay. I think this does damage because he will have people continually telling him that he is gay, thereby reinforcing a question that has possibly popped into his mind at many times. So, somewhat unknowingly, the boy or girl could have his or her peers reinforcing, and nourishing, a seed that they are trying to caste out of their life. The more we are told or think something the more we become that thing. It is the same if we call someone stupid all the time, we are actually nourishing a very devastating seed for someone else. I think many people believe themselves to be gay because they have been told that all their life, and they didn't just caste out that seed whenever someone says it to them. Or someone thinks they are stupid for similar reasons. Maybe their ability to reason around what people are saying didn't last long enough. Maybe they couldn't convince themselves with a good argument that they are not stupid, or gay (not that they are related) and so they just begin to believe it.

It also works the other way though. There are very good seeds to, as Alma 32 demonstrates. Their can be seeds of faith the develop into incredible faith and maybe even testimony. There is also seeds of encouragement. A mother telling her small child that he can accomplish anything will be her nourishing a seed that one day may grow inside him. It will be hard for a child to get out of his head what he hears continually. And, whatever we think in our hearts is what we will truly become. Someone cannot become great if they always are thinking they are mediocre. Likewise, someone cannot become truly wrong if they always immediately caste out any thought that would bring them down that path. It is impossible. You have to think of something to become that thing.

Pretty much, whatever you think about, you will become that thing. Our mind is incredibly powerful.