One Red Leaf

One day a few weeks ago, when the weather had just turned cold, I was reminded of something I noticed last year.  The days of beautiful, brilliant fall colors and sunshiny days had given way to bare limbs and frigid winds.  I was driving to work, and there along the side of the road were three identical trees.  Their leaves had all fallen prey to the cold and to gravity, and had let go.  The leaves had all fallen, and the wind had blown them away.  But on the very tip top of the highest branch of the center tree, there was this one big, beautiful, vibrant, red leaf.  This one red leaf was clinging tightly, and the afternoon sun was like a spotlight on this leaf.  It was beautiful and it was like it was shining just for me.

 

The lesson was very clear to me, and I found myself crying.   As the world gets more and more wicked, with storms raging all around us, and as everyone else it seems gives in to what is easy and accepted and falls off the tree, what will I do?  Will I give in and let go or will I cling to my values and faith with I you have? 

Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has said, “Testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil in which we are living…not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need.”

Elder Bednar taught that there is a difference between having a testimony and being fully converted to the Lord.  He said, “Knowing the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony.  Consistently being true to the gospel (clinging to the uppermost branch) is the essence of conversion.  True conversion brings a change in one’s beliefs, heart, and life to accept and conform to the will of God… and includes a conscious commitment to become a disciple of Christ.…  Conversion requires all of our heart, all of our might, and all of our mind and strength.”

So when life gets hard, and maybe the world will ridicule me for holding to higher ground, I am going to remember that one red leaf clinging to the highest branch of that tree.  Even if I am the last leaf left on the whole street as the wind whips through the branches, I am going to cling to the gospel of Jesus Christ and hold firm to its truth.