The Savior did the same in Matthew 13:3 as he began, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow . . ."
You know, gardening is not easy. There are so many factors at play. I know because my garden suffers from my inexperience year after year. So when I think of these two parables, I don't look at them so much as defining the "good guys" who do it right and the "bad guys" who do it wrong, but rather, they seem to be describing both my garden and me personally and all the stages of spiritual development I have been through.
Alma talks about such factors when he compares faith to a seed. The seed must be a good seed. When it sprouts you must nourish it. If you neglect it, the sun will scorch it and it will wither away. But in the end you will reap the rewards of your diligence and have fruit.
The Savior, in the parable of the sower, focuses on the ground that receives the seed. The field is the world while the sower is the apostles. The ground where the seed is sown is the condition of people's hearts.
First the seed falls on the wayside and the birds eat them. The wayside is the hard ground where people have been walking and the seeds just lay on top - easy for the birds to find. I have places in my garden like that where the ground is so hard it is hard to plant anything. I have had times in my life where my heart was that hard. Protective walls prevent us from feeling God's love and His truths.
Sometimes seeds will fall in stony places, places where there is no soil for roots to grow in and so the plants just wither under the sun. We have such a place along our driveway where there is a long row of decorative rock. It does get a little bit of dirt in there and sometimes a weed will try to take root but the nice thing is that there's not enough soil for them to form deep roots and those weeds are so easy to pull out. I think in my youth my testimony was like that. It was shallow and more filled with words than knowledge. It took some tribulation to force me to dig deep and get those roots down there. But I could have gone the other way. Sometimes adversity makes us bitter and we wither like the plants in the parable.
Next in the parable the Savior talked about thorny places. That is something I really understand. These are the places where the weeds and the thorns grow so rapidly that they just choke out the plants. We decided to transform our backyard into a monarch way-station and so last fall we planted milkweed seed in some of our raised beds. This spring it was very difficult to tell what was weeds and what was milkweed. We had no idea what those little seedlings were going to look like so we had to just let it all grow until we could finally distinguish what was what. For whatever reason, this year those beds were full of purslane. It is an edible weed that grows quickly and it's like a succulent so it is also vigorous. We have had to fight like crazy to get our fragile little milkweed plants to grow and not be overwhelmed by this weed. Sometimes I think my life is like this garden with all the thorny places. It is so easy to let daily chores and care take over our lives. It could be something like just redecorating the house or a vacation or something like. But they have the potential to distract us from taking time to read our scriptures to say our prayers or whatever.
The Savior at last talked about the good ground the place that brings forth sufficient soil for deep roots and the fruit in the plants grow so well there. We all know people who just grasp the gospel and they live it so completely and so fully they are such great examples to all of us. But those people are rare. Most of us fight through a battle of personal weaknesses on the way to becoming filled with testimony.
I certainly am one who has had my own spiritual ups and downs and these two scriptures feel so true to my life. Faith does indeed need nourishing - especially in these modern days where the pace of life alone can rob you of time to even be quiet, to be still. We have to nurture ourselves spiritually as a part of our learning to take care of our self. Our spiritual life is so important in this secular climate that surrounds us, where life drags us down and we never feel like we have enough or that we are enough.
But even beyond what the world does to me, I have my own daily battles to fight. Some days there's just too much to do and I just don't have time. Some days I'm mad at the world or someone in particular and I don't feel like praying. Sometimes I feel like I have PMS and I just can't control my emotions. Sometimes I just need to go sleep it off. And sometimes even at my age I get caught up in the laundry or a good book and go all day without reading my scriptures.
And I feel the difference! I think that's what Alma are the Savior were talking about. We're not victims of circumstance. We are to take charge of our lives and to watch for the thorny ground and nourish our little seed because life is best lived when we are connected to the Author of Life and we feel His love surrounding us. Alma reminds us in verse 42 the fruit of the tree is that 'which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet." He obviously had read Nephi's words defining that tree,"Yea, it is the love of God".
I've been watching the new video series called The Chosen. The first episode ends with a scene where the Savior speaks to Mary Magdalene. I love watching that scene and hearing those words. What I feel when I hear Him speak in that scene is what I believe it means to feel the love of God. I always want to have that feeling. "But now the saith the Lord that created thee, and he that formed thee, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name, thou art mine." The Lord is always there, wanting us to know how much He loves us. We just have to be open and hear His message and then nourish it and help it to grow.
No comments:
Post a Comment