Faith and Sacrifice

Alma, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, compares faith to a seed: 

If ye give place, that a seed [of faith] may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed . . . behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will  being to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. Alma 32:28

Ways that we can experiment on those words include going to church, praying, and reading the scriptures—three things that we call "the faith triangle." But what really grows that seed is sacrifice: we give up something valuable (our time) in exchange for something better (following God's will). Elder Dallin H. Oaks says of sacrifice,

"Just as the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is at the center of the plan of salvation, we followers of Christ must make our own sacrifices to prepare for the destiny that plan provides for us" (Sacrifice).  

I love the opportunities that I have to sacrifice because it grows my faith. I may have a tiny seed of faith, but as I sacrifice for the Lord, I feel that tiny seed expanding, and I recognize a dynamic faith—the kind of faith we must have.