The parable of the Soils

It just so happens that this week my BYU professor touched on one of the most intriguing parables to me thus far in my life- the parable of the sower. As it was the topic I decided I wanted to do my essay project on, I had been learning about it a lot. This last week he talked about it in class and it caused me to think about one of the soils that I find the most interesting. A sower is throwing out seeds in to the ground. Christ mentions the seeds land on 4 different types of soil. In Matthew 13:7 it says some of the seeds "fell among thorns; and forthwith they sprung up and choked them;"
One of the beauties of this parable is he actually gives the interpretation. In verse 23 it reads "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." I would like to compare that to the wording of the same parable in Luke 8:14. That verse says "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection." The reason I wanted to point out this verse is because it caused me to think of the type of heart that could be included in this group- mine. Fruit has often been compared to as works. There are many times in the scriptures in which this symbolism can be connected. In this context I would like to say the same. The heart mentioned in verse 14 went and worked after hearing the word. Unfortunately, their heart was still in "the pleasures of this life" and so they ultimately brought "no fruit to perfection." This phrase is what really caught my eye. This is someone who is doing the work but with the wrong motivation or does not do the work correctly. For example they may be doing service but their motivation might be so that they look impressive to others. Another example on how they may be doing the right thing the wrong way is when they go home teaching simply so they can report that they got 100% that month. Another example is someone who likes the gospel but it is second in importance behind popularity. The reason I mentioned my heart as this soil is because I realized there has been times when I might have been living righteously but my heart desired the life of popularity. I saw the people at the high school parties. I would never go but in my heart I wish I was there. I feel, over time, my heart transformed as I yielded to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost took that desire from me.  This is an example of a heart that started "among thorns" but transformed in to "good ground." I also feel that my heart is in different places with different principles of the gospel. For certain principles, my heart was good soil, but for others it may have started out as stony. Over time, through Christ I know my heart can be changed for every principle of the Gospel. That is the beauty of the atonement.