A couple of years ago while I was out getting groceries, I bought a small houseplant that I was sure wanted to come home with me. It had cute little heart shaped vining leaves and looked perfect on my fireplace mantle. It is a lovely plant and was happily flourishing . . . that is until a few weeks ago.

I came downstairs one day and glanced at its perch on my mantle, only to notice it looking somewhat sad and droopy. My watering schedule could be defined in a word – sporadic . . . so I figured I knew the immediate solution. I pulled the plant down and set it next to my sink. The soil was extremely dry so I gave it an extra helping of water followed by a generous serving of plant food.

Problem solved.

Fast forward a few days later when I came downstairs and again looked up at my little houseplant only to find it had taken a turn for the worse! It wasn’t quite as droopy as before, but all the leaves had almost entirely yellowed. It looked sad and sickly . . . I panicked.

I carried the plant down again from its perch only instead of dry crusted soil like last time, I found the pot completely swimming in water. I normally let my plants drain after watering them, but in my meager attempt to give this little guy more life, I inadvertently let him sit in all that water and plant food for far too long.

It was too much.

I drained the water and carefully set him on my kitchen windowsill hoping he would perk up in the beautiful sunlight streaming in.

Poor little plant. Overwhelmed. Drowning. Struggling.

A few days later as I was washing my dishes, I looked at the window where he was sitting. I walked over and told him he was doing great. Then I said, “I’m sorry I gave you too much.”

I paused thoughtfully and considered those words . . .

“Too much”

My eyes began to fill with tears as I realized this was the answer to my prayer that Heavenly Father had been trying to tell me for quite some time . . .

“It is difficult to grow with too much”

I have been thinking about this principle in a variety of contexts:

From a personal perspective.

I sometimes find myself ungratefully lamenting about the gifts, talents and abilities I don’t have instead of acknowledging, using and sharing the ones I do have. God has so many different gifts to give – it’s what makes his garden of children so beautiful. Some gifts are given freely and some are born and developed through trials and personal struggle. We all know the strongest trees are the ones who endure the fiercest storms.

From a parenting perspective.

I shared with my sister recently that I did not anticipate how challenging it actually is to not give my children everything I can. Though I am tempted at times to drown them in fresh water and plant food (so to speak), I know this only produces spoiled yellow plants who experience little personal growth and struggle to thrive and mature.

From a spiritual perspective.

The best way to develop a flourishing testimony with strong roots and healthy leaves is through personal growth and experience. It is nearly impossible to accomplish this while sitting in a pool of borrowed faith. Just as Heber C. Kimball taught over 50 years ago, “Man cannot endure on borrowed light.”

As I pondered more on this answer, I was reminded of a Relief Society lesson I sat in several months ago. The teacher was reviewing the principles found in the parable of the ten virgins. This is a scripture story I have heard and read many times in my life, but something she said sparked a new realization I hadn’t had before.

In their preparation for the coming of the Lord, “the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.”

Sister Reed pulled out an old kerosene lamp that her family used when she was a little girl. She explained how the lamp worked and told us that the wick must be trimmed regularly to allow for a clean, bright flame.

This was an element of the parable I had never considered before – the necessity of trimming our wicks.

In order for a lamp to glow bright and avoid a dark, smokey flame – the charred, burnt and frayed end of the wick must be trimmed and cut down.

Oh how I need this principle in my life!

In my daily preparations to come closer to Christ, am I trimming my wick?

Am I cutting out the frayed and burnt edges of my life through repentance to allow my light to burn at its brightest?

Am I removing distractions, burdens and all the “extra stuff” that weighs me down and causes a dark and smoky flame making it harder to see ahead?

I realized that trimming my wick is an essential element of spiritual preparation and personal growth because it eliminates the “too much” in my life.

I am a busy mom who often describes the season of life I am in as “the thick of the thick.” My life is so full! But maybe, just maybe sometimes, is it too full?

Like the difference between eating a balanced and healthy meal and feeling the satiety it gives versus that uncomfortable, “time to unbutton my pants” kind of full after Thanksgiving dinner.

Could I have a little less food next time and still feel satisfied?

Could I trim some of the less important activities from my life and still be happy?

Is less really more?

This is not me saying that watering my testimony once a week opposed to daily is a great way to simplify or that I no longer want to serve in my calling at church because it makes my life too busy.

This is me self reflecting on the good, better and best parts of my life and considering what trimming the wick looks like for me . . . because at the end of the day I want to follow Christs command to “let [my] light so shine before men . . . and glorify [my] Father which is in Heaven”

So what of my little plant?

Well, a few days later I noticed that the yellow leaves were almost completely dead and taking necessary nutrients away from the other leaves that were striving to grow. So, I did what I had to do and removed all the dead and yellow foliage from the plant to create room for new growth.

I trimmed the wick.

It looked somewhat bare, but it also looked healthy and green and within a few days I noticed fresh new shoots already beginning to grow.

So whether I consider myself a fresh little plant striving to grow and thrive in God‘s great garden or a small little flame struggling to shine bright for those around me, I am now attempting to begin each day with these questions in mind,

“What is the ‘too much’ I can take out of today so I have room to grow?”

“The Savior is coming, have I trimmed my wick?”