Written by Sarah Keenan:
When I was young, we lived next to a very nice old lady who would occasionally let us come to her house.
One day, she allowed us to visit her garden in her backyard. It was absolutely beautiful, with brightly colored flowers everywhere. As soon as we entered the yard, the woman asked us kindly but firmly to NOT pick any of the flowers.
But as I passed the multi-colored flowers, I had what I thought was an absolutely wonderful idea.
I could pick some of these flowers and make them into a bouquet for my neighbor! Surely she would love having these beautiful flowers in her house, where she’d be able to see them more often.
I found the most beautiful flowers in the garden, and a few minutes later, in front of my horrified mother, I presented the woman with the colorful bouquet: “They’re for you!” I said, beaming. “To put in your house.”
The old woman took the flowers with a sigh. “Thank you, but I don’t want them in my house,” she said. “These are my flowers, and I wanted them to stay in my garden.”
I learned an important lesson that day: obedience is most important.
In D&C 22, I am sure the people who didn’t want to be rebaptized had good rationalizations.
When they had been baptized before into other churches, it was probably a wonderful, spiritual experience for them,
One that brought them close to Christ,
And they felt like getting rebaptized was unnecessary.
But they ended up getting a strong rebuke from the Lord:
“Enter thee in at the gate, as I have commanded, and seek not to counsel your God.”
When I picked the flowers in that garden, I thought I knew better than the woman who had planted those flowers in the first place.
I should have trusted the gardener,
Just like the early saints needed to trust God and His prophet.
As Proverbs 3:5 puts it: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Be humble.
Trust in Him,
And the Great Gardener will direct your path.
come follow me daily 