"Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;
But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned"
Doctrine and Covenants 86:5-7
This is obviously about people rather than fields, but less uncomfortable to talk about if we think of it through an analogy. That's one of the things that parables, and fiction in general, is good for. What struck me today though is the "ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares" part, which seems to me to be associated with "the gathering of Israel" as discussed in the scriptures and by the prophets, but which I had never really glued together in my mind before. We need to gather so we don't get caught up in destruction that isn't meant for us.
I think gathering is more than just physical shifting though... the spiritual aspect is that we need to gather to God in heart and mind as well, which is what sets up apart more than any physical movement. Today, let's think about this analogy and be the wheat... the good part of the field / world. Let's gather as many as we can and all come before God, determined to do his will and follow his commandments in order to make a difference in this world and find joy in the world to come.
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