Growing Like Bamboo

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (D&C 64:33). Bamboo has an interesting growth process. For the first couple of years after you plant bamboo, it will seem like it is not growing at all, but it is creating this vast network of roots under the surface. And then, once it is ready to start growing upward, it is the fastest growing plant in the world. It can grow a whole foot in as little as eight hours. It can be hard toiling at small difficult tasks with what seems like little to no visible improvement, especially when we see other plants that seem to be growing so much faster and more beautifully than we are. But out of our small daily efforts can come something great. I'm reminded of the story of Naaman the Syrian who was stricken with leprosy and traveled all the way to Samaria to plead with Elisha the prophet, who told him to go bathe in the river Jordan seven times. Now, Jordan was a muddy little river in a little backwater corner of the Syrian empire and Naaman thought it beneath his dignity. But his servant counseled him that if he had been asked to do some great deed, he would have gladly done it, then how much easier would it be to do some simple task. But we don't always want to do the small, boring, unnoticeable things. We want some sweeping instant change, and if we can't have that then we might as well not bother. It can sometimes take greater courage to do some small simple thing seven or seventy times seven times and be not weary in laying the foundation for a great work. Like the bamboo, we may be required to labor under the surface with seemingly nothing to show for it, but one day we will shoot up faster and taller than everything else.