I have always loved the story often told by Elder Hugh B. Brown of the “Current Bush.” If you remember the story, at the time he had just bought a “run down” farm with a current bush that had been neglected for years, “going all to bush, there were no blossoms and no currants.” Having had some experience in trimming foliage, Elder Brown knew just what to do. “I cut it down, and pruned it, and clipped it back until there was nothing left but a little clump of stumps.”
In the January 1973 issue of the “New Era” Elder Brown follows his telling of the story with this:
“I wanted to tell you that oft-repeated story because there are many of you who are going to have some very difficult experiences: disappointment, heartbreak, bereavement, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried, to prove what you are made of. I just want you to know that if you don’t get what you think you ought to get, remember, ‘God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be. Submit yourselves to His will. Be worthy of His blessings, and you will get His blessings.’”
In our lives, if we all take the time to see, we can and will know the blessings that Elder Brown talks of.
I have truly seen His blessings in my life particularly through the last six years. In February of 2015, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I have been very blessed through the whole process and still see blessings from this event even to this day. From the diagnosis to my treatments in both Redding and in San Francisco, I have realized many of our Heavenly Father’s tender mercies sometimes as they occurred, others in hindsight. One of the tender mercies that was ever present was the power of Priesthood blessings. Many worthy men were willing and able to administer to me. My eyes still get a little misty as I remember back to the numerous times where Priesthood brethren would lay their hands on my head and pronounce blessings from my Heavenly Father, words from Him that I needed to hear. I will always have with me those sacred moments. I discovered also that I too, must accept God’s will and his designs for me and my family. We have a saying in our home now. “It may not be my plan, but it is Heavenly Fathers plan.”
I know that my Heavenly Father knows me personally. He knows the challenges and the blessings that I need in my life. He knows what mountains I need to encounter to strengthen me and refine my spirit.
As each of us moves forward with faith, trusting in His divine guidance, we will surely see just how involved He is in our lives. His blessings are all around us. His stated goal is “For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)
Let us each remember Elder Brown’s story of the currant bush and the concluding guidance that he gives. “Remember, ‘God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be. Submit yourselves to His will. Be worthy of His blessings, and you will get His blessings.”
Ken Brown
Shasta View Ward
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