Matt 13; Luke 8; 13: Nourishing Soil

This week, we revisited the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:18-23

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

I've seen the truth of verse 19 firsthand, multiple times. Satan can "catch away" what our loved ones know about the gospel until all that's left is doubt, discouragement, and sadness. It can happen to us, too, if we don't protect ourselves spiritually. It's like the rust that I talked about a couple weeks ago. We need to love, serve, and fellowship everyone, even those who seem to "have it together." We don't know what they are struggling with and we don't know how hard Satan is working to take away their spiritual roots. We need to be aware of every single person. That's one of the reasons we have ministering. Every single person needs someone to love them. Every person needs opportunities to feel the Spirit and become closer to the Savior. No one is immune from the wicked one.

Luke 8:15

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

We often don't see the fruit of our righteous efforts right away. There are many we won't be aware of until the next life. It's a choice to keep the word in our hearts and act on it without outside recognition or immediate results. It requires a lot of patience. I hope I have an honest, good heart with righteous desires.

I've been thinking a lot about "good ground" and "bad ground" in my life. A big cause of bad ground is desiring to please others more than God. It can be hard to fully prioritize God. We have so many responsibilities. Sometimes we feel guilty for putting the gospel first, but as I've learned and stated before, doing so helps everything else fall into place. I swear my time is made longer and more productive when I put the Savior first.

Other things that can be bad ground for me:

• Exhaustion
• Selfishness
• Pride
• Gossip
• Idleness
• Media
• Competitiveness
• Fear

These can be combatted by cultivating good ground, such as:

• Adequate sleep
• Eternal perspective
• Positive attitude
• Healthy habits
• Exercise
• Time to ponder
• Service

Yes. Our spiritual ground is better prepared for the Savior and His words when we sleep, exercise, and eat well. Giving our lives to Him doesn't mean losing our own well-being. We can't grow anything without nutrients in our soil. He wants us to bear fruit. Both our bodies and spirits need nourishment.

Let's be honest. I get hangry. I'm more snappy when I'm burned out. I have to take time to find balance, even when I have an extensive to-do list, or my ability to hear the Spirit goes out the window. Of course, it isn't always possible to sleep eight hours a night. I have a baby and know this. But it's worth prioritizing sleep when feasible. It's okay to ask for help with things in order to make room for self-care. Let's stop being so stubborn and ask. This is something I'm trying to be better at. Members of the Lord's Church have a built-in village. Use it. If you think you have to do this alone, stop and reevaluate. That was never God's plan.

Luke 13:7-8

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

If you feel like you're not producing enough fruit, take care of yourself. Make space around yourself for the word of the Lord. Nurture your heart, might, mind, and soul. Don't give up on yourself. We talk so much about nurturing and caring for others, and of course that's important. Dedicate your life to the Lord, but while you do so, allow Him to bring angels into your life to serve you too. That's how this Kingdom of God thing is supposed to work.

Last Sunday, our Gospel Doctrine teacher shared an incredible BYU speech that I would encourage you all to listen to: Believing Christ: A Practical Approach to the Atonement by Stephen E. Robinson (Professor of Ancient Scripture) - May 29, 1990. I wish I could quote the whole thing here and give you my thoughts, but I'll limit it to my favorite parts. Please read them as I think they apply to all of us and many of us need them.

Sometimes the weight of the demand for perfection drives us to despair. Sometimes we fail to believe that most choice portion of the gospel that says he can change us and bring us into his kingdom. Let me share an experience that happened about ten years ago. My wife and I were living in Pennsylvania. Things were going pretty well; I’d been promoted. It was a good year for us, though a trying year for Janet. That year she had our fourth child, graduated from college, passed the CPA exam, and was made Relief Society president. We had temple recommends, we had family home evening. I was in the bishopric. I thought we were headed for “LDS yuppiehood.” Then one night the lights went out. Something happened in my wife that I can only describe as “dying spiritually.” She wouldn’t talk about it; she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. That was the worst part. For a couple of weeks she did not wish to participate in spiritual things. She asked to be released from her callings, and she would not open up and tell me what was wrong.

Finally, after about two weeks, one night I made her mad and it came out. She said, “All right. You want to know what’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t lift it. I can’t get up at 5:30 in the morning and bake bread and sew clothes and help my kids with their homework and do my own homework and do my Relief Society stuff and get my genealogy done and write the congressman and go to the PTA meetings and write the missionaries . . .” And she just started naming one brick after another that had been laid on her, explaining all the things she could not do. She said, “I don’t have the talent that Sister Morrell has. I can’t do what Sister Childs does. I try not to yell at the kids, but I lose control, and I do. I’m just not perfect, and I’m not ever going to be perfect. I’m not going to make it to the celestial kingdom, and I’ve finally admitted that to myself. You and the kids can go, but I can’t lift it. I’m not ‘Molly Mormon,’ and I’m not ever going to be perfect, so I’ve given up. Why break my back?”

Well, we started to talk, and it was a long night. I asked her, “Janet, do you have a testimony?”

She said, “Of course I do! That’s what’s so terrible. I know it’s true. I just can’t do it.”

“Have you kept the covenants you made when you were baptized?”

She said, “I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I cannot keep all the commandments all the time.”

Then I rejoiced because I knew what was wrong, and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t any of those horrible things I thought it might be. Who would have thought after eight years of marriage, after all the lessons we’d given and heard, and after all we had read and done in the Church, who would have thought that Janet did not know the gospel of Jesus Christ? You see, she was trying to save herself. She knew why Jesus is a coach, a cheerleader, an advisor, a teacher. She knew why he is an example, the head of the Church, the Elder Brother, or even God. She knew all of that, but she did not understand why he is called the Savior.

I've had these days! Days when it's too much and the guilt, fear, and feelings of inadequacy are overwhelming. Those are days when the wicked one is attacking my spirit and trying to discourage me. When I rely on myself, like Janet was doing, no amount of time or effort is enough. I can't do it. I love this reminder that we can't rely solely on our mortal selves and expect success or peace. That was never the plan. We need to work in partnership with our Savior. With our Redeemer. We need to know Him intimately and trust that He knows us and will always help us. We need to be confident in our own abilities, absolutely, but we need to trust even more in Him. Faith in Him can move mountains.

The resolution of Janet's struggles is summarized by a beautiful parable Brother Robinson tells. The context of this quote is that his daughter wanted a new bicycle and he told her she could have one if she saved all her pennies and had enough money. Listen to the Spirit as you read this and ponder how it applies to your personal relationship with the Savior. It's simple and profound.

She came out and she had a little jar all cleaned up with a slit cut in the lid and a bunch of pennies in the bottom. She looked at me and said, “You promised me that if I saved all my pennies, pretty soon I’d have enough for a bike. And, Daddy, I’ve saved every single one of them.”

She’s my daughter, and I love her. My heart melted. She was doing everything in her power to follow my instructions. I hadn’t actually lied to her. If she saved all of her pennies she would eventually have enough for a bike, but by then she would want a car. But her needs weren’t being met. Because I love her, I said, “Let’s go downtown and look at bikes.”

We went to every store in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Finally we found it—the perfect bicycle, the one she knew in the premortal existence. She got up on that bike; she was thrilled. She then saw the price tag, reached down, and turned it over. When she saw how much it cost, her face fell and she started to cry. She said, “Oh Dad, I’ll never have enough for a bicycle.”

So I said, “Sarah, how much do you have?”

She answered, “Sixty-one cents.”

“I’ll tell you what. You give me everything you’ve got and a hug and a kiss, and the bike is yours.” Well, she’s never been stupid. She gave me a hug and a kiss. She gave me the sixty-one cents. Then I had to drive home very slowly because she wouldn’t get off the bike. She rode home on the sidewalk, and as I drove along slowly beside her it occurred to me that this was a parable for the Atonement of Christ.

We all want something desperately—it isn’t a bicycle. We want the celestial kingdom. We want to be with our Father in Heaven. And no matter how hard we try, we come up short. At some point we realize, “I can’t do this!” That was the point my wife had reached. It is at that point that the sweetness of the gospel covenant comes to our taste as the Savior proposes, “I’ll tell you what. All right, you’re not perfect. How much do you have? What can you do? Where are you now? Give me all you’ve got, and I’ll pay the rest. Give me a hug and a kiss; enter into a personal relationship with me, and I will do what remains undone.”

There is good news and bad news here. The bad news is that he still requires our best effort. We must try, we must work—we must do all that we can. But the good news is that having done all we can, it is enough—for now. Together we’ll make progress in the eternities, and eventually we will become perfect—but in the meantime, we are perfect only in a partnership, in a covenant relationship with him. Only by tapping his perfection can we hope to qualify.

When I explained to Janet how it worked, finally I broke through and she understood. She bloomed. I remember her saying through her tears, “I’ve always believed he is the Son of God. I have always believed that he suffered and died for me. But now I know that he can save me from myself, from my sins, from my weakness, inadequacy, and lack of talent.”

Our weaknesses and inadequacies don't make us any less capable of serving others and achieving exaltation. He knows us and knows how to bridge the gap between what we can do and what is required. We aren't supposed to do this alone. That's the reason we have Jesus. If we didn't need Him, why would He have given His life for us? Nothing good comes from dwelling on our weaknesses. Miracles happen when we do our best and ask Him to help us make up the difference.

I love this verse.

Luke 8:35

35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

He was sitting with His Savior. Do we know our Savior as well as that man did? Do we understand the reality of His power in our lives and all He's done for us? Do we know how He has personally redeemed us? Think about it.

Luke 8:

38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

I love that this man, who was so feared and ridiculed, became a vibrant missionary. We all have weaknesses. We have all been redeemed. We can do a lot of good by sharing our stories and the goodness of God with others. There's a tendency in the kingdom to display perfection more than weaknesses, faith more than doubt, etc, even when we're struggling. That isn't fair to everyone else who is struggling, too. It's good to talk about our struggles. We don't want to be overly negative, of course, but it's important that we feel safe with one another to discuss our trials.

The devil loves to isolate. He loves for members to attend church and feel like they're the only sinful people there. He wants us to feel out of place among the people more "righteous" than we are. He wants us to feel judged and offended. That's what the wicked one wants. But what does God want? He wants us to know that we always, always belong! We don't have to be perfect to find fellowship in the gospel. We don't have to hide our struggles and questions. When we share those things with each other, we can help nourish each other. It is vital that we are transparent and honest as we do so. We all need our Redeemer for different reasons. We are all sick in one way or another and need healing. All of us.

You belong. You don't have to do it alone. With the power of the Redeemer, your pennies are enough to buy the bicycle of your dreams.

Bonnie Gwyn