Fruit - Brigham Young

"If you feel evil, keep it to yourselves until you overcome that evil principle.  This is what I call resisting the devil, and he flees from me...When you are influenced by the Spirit of holiness and purity, let your light shine; but if you are tried and tempted and buffeted by Satan, keep you thought to yourselves - keep your mouths closed; for speaking produces fruit, either of a good or evil character...You frequently hear brethren and sisters say that they feel so tried and tempted, and have so many cares, and are so buffeted, that they must give vent to their feelings; and they yield to the temptation, and deal out their unpleasant sensations the their families and neighbors.  Make up your minds thoroughly, once and for all, that if we have trials, the Lord has suffered them to be brought upon us, and he will give us grace to bear them...But if we have light or intelligence - that which will do good, we will impart it...Let that be the determination of individual, for spirit begets spirit-likeness; feelings beget their likeness...If then we give vent to all our bad feelings disagreeable sensations, how quickly we beget the same in others, and load each other down with our troubles, and become sunk in darkness and despair!  In all your social communications...let all the dark, discontented, murmuring, unhappy, miserable feelings - all the evil fruit of the mind, fall from the tree in silence and unnoticed; and so let it perish, with out taking it up to present to your neighbors.  But when you have joy and happiness, light and intelligence, truth and virtue, offer that fruit abundantly to your neighbors, and it will do them good, and so strengthen the hands of your fellow beings."  -Brigham Young

Think about when this talk was given.  If ever there was a justified group of people in having the need to vent, it was the early saints.  However, they were asked not to.  How can we apply this to our lives now?  In our homes, apartments, with our friends and with our families?  Everyone loves a little gossip now and then, and it is easy to vent on a rough day.  However, a trouble shared is often a trouble doubled.  It does no good, and so I am going to work HARD to not do either of those.  I don't want to drop bad fruit!  I am also going to work to share the good things of the soul.  Think of how much could be taught if we shared with one another the experiences that build us, or strengthen our testimonies?  Almost every time Paul testified to the Jewish people, he told about his conversion to Christianity - his experience.  What are our conversion stories, and can we lift someone else by sharing it?  Could it help convert others?  Let us share the good that surrounds us!  Why?  Because of the pure love of Christ.  Because we love Him, and because we want our brothers and sisters to know of His love for us.  I find myself asking "how" I can do more.  "What" I need to do to make sure I am living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  These are great things to ask, but as President Uchtdorf explained, the true majesty of the gospel lies in the "why".  I think that is subconsciously why we ask the whats and hows, but we need to think more carefully and more consciously about the whys.  Let us all remember the "whys" of the gospel, share them a little more, and drop other bad fruit a little less.
Happy Sabbath!  :)