Growing Upward: What a Tower Garden Teaches Us About Faith
Sisters and Brothers,
An aeroponic tower garden is an unusual place to find a gospel lesson. There are no long rows of tilled earth. No muddy boots required. Plants grow upward, with their roots inside a tower, receiving water and nutrients while having access to oxygen. Tower Garden uses these essentials to nourish plants without soil.
It looks modern. But watching something small become something living and useful brings us back to a very old truth: growth requires nourishment.
You can stand beside a tower and encourage the lettuce all afternoon. You can compliment the basil. You can even explain to the kale that you have big plans for it.
But eventually, you have to check the water.
Our faith deserves that same practical attention.
The Work Beneath the Leaves
When we look at a garden, we usually notice what we can see: bright leaves, new shoots, and something nearly ready to harvest.
Yet much of the work happens out of sight.
That reminds me of the quiet things that sustain a disciple of Jesus Christ. A prayer offered before anyone else wakes up. A sincere apology. A few minutes in the scriptures. A decision to be honest when dishonesty would be easier.
Those moments may never receive applause. But they help nourish the person we are becoming.
In his October 1999 General Conference address, “Of Seeds and Soils,” President James E. Faust taught:
“Each of us needs to nourish our seeds of faith so that they continue to take root.”
Drawing on childhood gardening experiences and the Savior’s parable of the sower, he explained that receiving the word of God involves preparing our hearts. He encouraged humble daily prayer, overcoming pride, and keeping the commandments.
His lesson applies beautifully to a tower garden. The growing method may change, but the need for nourishment remains.
Our circumstances change, too. We move. We grow older. Work changes. Family responsibilities change. The way we make room for spiritual nourishment may need adjustment, but our need for Jesus Christ continues.
Small Beginnings Count
In Alma 32, Alma invites people to begin with a desire to believe and to make room for the word of God. He then teaches them to nourish what begins to grow with diligence and patience.
That is a hopeful invitation.
We do not have to arrive with a towering testimony. We can begin with an honest desire.
“Father, help me believe.”
“Help me understand.”
“Help me take the next step.”
A tiny seed does not look like dinner. A small act of faith may not look like a changed life. Yet beginnings matter.
Sometimes we dismiss our progress because it is still small. We prayed, but we still feel worried. We forgave, but the hurt has not completely faded. We tried again, but we are still learning.
A gardener does not throw away a healthy seedling because it has not become a harvest overnight. We can show ourselves—and one another—that same patience.
Paying Attention Is an Act of Love
A garden invites us to notice.
Is a plant struggling? Does something need adjusting? Have we neglected what once received our careful attention?
Those questions belong in our relationships as well.
Who has grown quiet lately? Who needs a phone call? Who could use a meal, a ride, or a little company?
We do not need to solve someone’s entire life to offer meaningful care. Sometimes the next needed thing is wonderfully ordinary.
A listening ear.
A place at the table.
Someone who remembers.
As we turn toward Christ, He teaches us to notice people with greater tenderness.
A Harvest Worth Sharing
There is something deeply satisfying about growing food and sharing it. What began as a small seed becomes nourishment for someone else.
Faith can bless others in a similar way. The peace we receive can help us respond gently. The forgiveness we experience can help us forgive. The hope Christ gives us can encourage someone whose own hope feels thin.
This week, perhaps we can tend three things: one small habit that brings us closer to the Savior, one relationship that needs attention, and one opportunity to share what we have.
We may not see every result immediately.
But we can keep tending.
I believe Jesus Christ meets us in those quiet efforts. Through His grace, repentance is possible, hope can return, and lives can change.
Even beside a tower of lettuce, we can be reminded that God’s creations invite our care—and that our own growth is worth patiently nourishing.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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