“Spiritual” State of Soil
In
the parable of the sower, that the Savior taught (see Matthew 13:3-9), we can look at the soil as all
being equal in the beginning and evolving over time.
Alma teaches us
that, “in the first place [we] were on the same standing with [our] brethren”
(Alma 13:5). In the very beginning
state of our pre-mortal existence, we all started out on equal footing. Through
the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all of us were born into mortality innocent
before God, as Joseph Smith taught:
“Every spirit of man was innocent in
the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in
their infant state, innocent before God” (Doctrine & Covenants 93:38).
In the beginning
all the soil—all of us—were on equal standing. The seed—the word of God—is available
to all but there are some who, through their own decisions, have allowed the
adversary to snatch the word away (see Matthew 13:19). To “snatch” means to “to
take (something) quickly or eagerly” (link to definition). The adversary is ever on the lookout for opportunities to
deceive the children of men. Peter admonishes us to, “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He may be subtle and crafty, or blatant and
bold, but his intentions are the same – to deceive mankind.
The soil
that has the seed snatched away are those who “[hear]
the word of the kingdom, and [understand] it not” (Matthew 13:19). Like
Laman and Lemuel, in the Book of Mormon, it could represent
those who neglected to inquire of the Lord, or failed to keep the commandments,
when they didn’t understand (see 1 Nephi 15:8-10). They failed to do what was
required and never gave the seed a chance to sprout.
If we have
sincere questions about the gospel we should continue to be obedient as we seek
them out. In the Ensign magazine we
are taught that, “A sincere questioner continues to be obedient while searching
for answers….The doubter’s posture is generally to withhold obedience or limit
it, pending resolution of the doubts” (link to article). As for obedience, we
can always remember the Lord’s promise: “I, the
Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no
promise.” (Doctrine & Covenants 82:10).
The stony
soil represents those who receive the word with joy, but don’t make the effort
to focus on their roots. They have not taken the work and effort to dig out the
rocks and prepare the soil for planting so when temptation, trial, and
tribulation come they have no root to hold them firm and steadfast (and there
are a lot of stones in the way). The Apostle Paul’s counsel can apply to us
today when he said, “continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel”
(Colossians 1:23). We need to be obedient to the principles of the gospel so our feet can
be firmly planted, deeply in the soil.
When I
think of the stony soil I think of the experience I have had with fruit trees. After
transplanting a fruit tree, it is very important to remove all of the buds for
the first couple of years, so that the tree can focus more on establishing the
roots than on producing fruit. If we attempt to produce “fruit” in our lives without
establishing our roots, the tree will be less fruitful and the fruit will be
smaller. This may be the type of soil that describes those who do things for
show, or the praise of the world (see Matthew 6:2, 5, 16).
We need to
take time to really establish our root system so that we can weather the storms
of life. We need to prepare our soil by establishing the needed habits of daily
scripture study, daily prayer, weekly Family Home Evening, and temple worship
in order to sustain us during our trials. President Henry B. Eyring stated it
so simply, “If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power
to endure will crumble” (link to talk).
The soil
that is covered with thorns describes one who hears the word, but seems to be
distracted by “the cares of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in” (Mark 4:19).
When
thinking of “the cares of the world” we might include the philosophies of men.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks speaks of, “the ‘captivity’ into which this ‘church [of the devil]’ seeks to
bring the saints will not be so much physical confinement as the captivity of
false ideas” (link to article).
The
deceitfulness of riches is very prevalent. In this world if you have enough
money you can buy pretty much anything you want - except for the important
things, like family, love, faith, and an abiding testimony in the Savior. The
other week in church one of the speakers stated it so plainly when he said, “some
people are so poor all they have is money”. We must remember the words of the
Savior, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). President Ezra Taft Benson taught,
“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper
place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for
our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order
of our priorities” (link to talk).
One
thing that has been taught over and over again is about the dangers of
pornography (which I think applies to “the lusts” referred to in the parable).
Elder Richard G. Scott so bluntly states,
“Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to
limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography
in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief,
suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning
influences on earth. Whether it be through the printed page, movies,
television, obscene lyrics, vulgarities on the telephone, or flickering
personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely
damaging. This potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind and the heart and the
soul of any who use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web
and remain so will become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence. For
many, that addiction cannot be overcome without help. The tragic pattern is so
familiar. It begins with curiosity that is fueled by its stimulation and is
justified by the false premise that when done privately, it does no harm to
anyone else. For those lulled by this lie, the experimentation goes deeper,
with more powerful stimulations, until the trap closes and a terribly immoral,
addictive habit exercises its vicious control” (link to talk).
Those
in thorny soil may have lost focus of their true priorities. They have made
something else more important than following the Lord. They may rely on their
riches, or their own understanding, rather than trusting in the Lord. Those in
thorny soil may feel like they will be able to get around to the spiritually important things later,
or they may feel hopelessly entangled. To become free they need to access the
power of the Atonement; which can rescue them from the choking influence of the
world. Elder Scott continued,
“If you are ensnarled in pornography [or any other vice, for
that matter], make a total commitment to overcome it now. Find a quiet place;
pray urgently for help and support. Be patient and obedient. Don’t give up”
(link to talk).
Elder
Ullises Soares also offered this comforting counsel: “Don’t be discouraged. If you
are striving and working to repent, you are in the process of repenting” (link to article).
The good
soil represents those who hear the word, understand it and endure (see Matthew 13:23, JST).
They have cultivated an attitude of
seeking for the things of God (see Doctrine & Covenants 25:10).
Ask
any farmer—or anyone who has planted a garden—good soil takes time, effort, and
consistency to prepare it for planting. But once you plant the seeds the work
is far from done. It requires the daily efforts of watering, weeding, and just
walking through it to see if there are any trouble spots.
Like
Captain Moroni who fortified his weakest cities (see Alma 48:7-10) we need to
recognize our weaknesses and fortify ourselves against times of weakness, opposition
or temptation.
I
wonder if, like the parable of the Ten Virgins (see Matthew 25:1-13), the soil
can be likened to members of the Church. How are we doing in weeding and
watering our soil to keep it in a good state?
All
plants need water, soil, and sunlight in order to survive. I like to think that
in this parable the soil represents the experiences that we will have in
mortality—the outcome of the soil is determined by our use of agency to make
choices. The sunlight can be likened to the Light of Christ when He said, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God…I am the light which
shineth in darkness” (Doctrine & Covenants 6:21). This light is available to all. The water that is so essential
to our survival can be likened to the living water that the Savior spoke of
when He said, “whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). All of these are necessary for our spiritual growth.
We must
not neglect the importance of the daily care and weeding needed to maintain
good soil. Weeding can be likened to repentance. If we do it daily, we can pick
the weeds when they are small. If we “procrastinate
the day of [our] repentance” (Alma 13:27) we may have much larger weeds that
are much harder to pull out. All weeds can
be pulled out but some will take more effort than others. We must remember that
is it through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can repent. As we use our
agency to follow the Savior we can be guided in our lives. Elder Ulisses Soares said,
“We were born with the seed of divinity in our spirits because
we are God’s children. This seed needs to grow. It grows as we exercise our
agency in righteousness, as we make correct decisions, and as we use the Light
of Christ and the Holy Ghost to guide us in the decisions we make during the
course of our lives. This process takes time, and it is not possible to shape
our lives from one day to another” (link to article).
When
thinking of the parable of the sower we may ask ourselves why the sower allowed
the soil to become thorny or rocky. Why didn’t he take care of it? The answer
is simple. The Lord allows us to make our own decisions because of our agency. Our
agency is worth so much that the Lord would not trade it for anything–not even
His knowledge of the tragedies, pain, sorrow, fear, loneliness, and every other
trial that His children would face. Not even for the sake of one-third of His
spirit children.
Why?
He
has been this way before. He knows what it takes to become exalted, because He
once walked in mortal shoes. He knows that getting to where He is will be worth
every heartache, every trial, or every challenge that we will ever face. Joseph
Smith taught that,
“[God] was once a
man like us; yea…God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same
as Jesus Christ Himself did” (Joseph Smith, from the King Follett Address in
History of the Church 6:305-6).
And
Elder Bruce R. McConkie testified that,
“The Father is a glorified, perfected, resurrected, exalted man
who worked out his salvation by obedience to the same laws he has given to us
so that we may do the same” (Taken from "A New Witness For the Articles of
Faith" by Bruce R. McConkie, pg 64).
The
Lord isn’t sending us on a mission to do something because He doesn’t want to
do it. He is asking us to follow in His footsteps, and do what He has done. As
we follow Him we can become as He is.
The
sower does care for his field. He has
given instructions to each of us in how we may have a successful crop. As we
are obedient to His instructions He is bound to keep His side of the bargain (see Doctrine & Covenants 82:10).
Those
entangled in the thorns, or burned by the stones have not heeded the
instructions of the sower. There may be times where we may wish to bask in the
warm sun (until it scorches us) or enjoy the gentle caressing of the thorns (until
they choke us), but if we disregard the instruction we have received we are
only deceiving ourselves. The choice to change must come from within. We must
take the first step, for the Lord will not stand in the way of our agency. I
love the words in the following Hymn:
“Know this,
that ev’ry soul is free
To choose his life and what he’ll be;
For this eternal truth is giv’n:
That God will force no man to heav’n.
“He’ll call, persuade, direct aright,
And bless with wisdom, love, and light,
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind
Once
we come to ourselves (see Luke 15:17) and have “viewed
[ourselves] in [our]
own carnal state” (Mosiah 4:2)
we will need to “[put] off the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19), bid Babylon
farewell (link to Hymn) and turn to the Lord. He will help us to get
rid of the thorns and stones so that we may have good ground. The process will
not be easy, and may be painful and long, but if we trust in Him, we will be
eternally blessed. Elder Richard G. Scott stated,
“Challenges help
us become more like our Father in Heaven, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ
makes it possible to endure those challenges. I testify that as we actively
come unto Him, we can endure every temptation, every heartache, every challenge
we face” (link to talk).
Sometimes
it may feel incredibly difficult to commend ourselves fully unto the Lord (see Ether 6:4), but if
we trust in Him we will be led to our own land of promise—a land more beautiful and fruitful than we can ever imagine.
