Roots Before Branches

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, “One of the most important things we can learn in this life is the difference between what is eternal and what is not.”

Understanding what is of eternal importance and what isn’t is key in gaining a lasting testimony of Jesus Christ. No matter what Christian denomination you belong to, there will be many different doctrines and teachings that are true and valuable. However, the most true, the most valuable and the most important, is a knowledge of Christ and His Atonement.

Elder Uchtdorf compared our testimonies to a tree: the roots represent our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, while the branches represent other aspects of testimony that may be important or worthy, but are not crucial. In order to grow our testimonies, Uchtdorf continued, it’s important to water those roots, rather than splashing water on the branches.

Such a faith in, and relationship with, Jesus Christ would be life changing. The apostle James E. Faust said, “Is not the greatest need in all of the world for every person to have a personal, ongoing, daily, continuing relationship with the Savior? Having such a relationship can unchain the divinity within us, and nothing can make a greater difference in our lives as we come to know and understand our divine relationship with God.”

The Lord counseled, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36). What if we took that literally, and used every moment in our lives as an opportunity to grow in our testimony of Christ?

Joy D. Jones, another leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, “We can make each item on our to-do list become a way to glorify Him. We can see each task as a privilege and opportunity to serve Him, even when we are in the midst of deadlines, duties, or dirty diapers.”

Several years ago, I had an experience that shook my faith. I was hurt by someone within my church community and felt unappreciated and unimportant. I felt some of the branches of my testimony might be in danger.

Following the counsel of the prophet Russell M. Nelson, I spent the next year reading scriptures and searching for references to the Savior Jesus Christ. Doing this strengthened the roots of my testimony in Jesus Christ, and also the branches of my testimony of sacred scripture and of the prophet’s counsel.

When, a year later, another event “shook my tree,” as it were, and brought me to a crisis of faith, I was angry. When I discovered some of my branches were diseased, a part of me wanted to chop them all off and burn the tree to the ground. But I found that I could not. While I still had anger, questions, doubts, and even disagreements when it came to the administration of my church, I had a deep testimony of Jesus Christ that I could not abandon. I felt I could echo the words of Joseph Smith: “I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it.”

Because of my testimony in Jesus Christ, I had a strong faith that was unshakable in the face of more trivial troubles. I had learned the difference between what was eternal and what was incidental. Now only if that knowledge was permanent!

However, little things—and sometimes big things—pop up to bother me more frequently than I would like to admit. Before reading the counsel of Elder Uchtdorf, I wondered why these doubts and questions and struggles would suddenly arise. Now I feel that perhaps the adversary preys on our weaknesses by attacking a weak branch when he knows that our roots are starving for nourishment. And now that I know what to do, I can thwart those attacks by doubling down on my faith in Christ.

Even in my small tests of faith, I have learned the truth of the words of the prophet Helaman when he wrote, “It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his 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, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).

Regardless of the metaphor, I know that my faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ is of utmost importance. I’m grateful that when I forget this, the Lord gives me ample opportunity to learn it again and again.

Rachel Kenley Fry is a wife, mom of five lovely, crazy children and sometimes a writer when she can find a rare quiet moment. She loves reading, musical theater, and sports which require the elusive substance of snow. She is an inadequate follower of Christ, trying every day to be better than the day before. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.