"ploughing the earth of our heart"?

Question

I would need a verb (or a phrase) that describes what a plough does to the earth (literally) and can apply to the earth of our heart in a metaphorical way. This is a positive connotation that may involve pain, but leads to a good result. The context could be something like:

Hardship and afflictions ____ the earth of our heart(, plough it), uproot all the weeds so that we may be delivered of every regret, so that we may be able to look forward.

What word would you suggest after "afflictions"? Whatever the plough does to the earth reveals things that were concealed underneath. This is the meaning the author is trying to convey.
I would be grateful for any suggestion, even if it only partially covers all the connotations that I have given.

user405662 · Accepted Answer

Good question. Off the top of my head, I came up with plow. Considering how M-W defines the word, I think it would suit your purpose to a nicety—

: To turn, break up, or work with a plow

To  make (something, such as a furrow) with a plow

And here is AHD on another meaning of the word—

To make or form with driving force: I plowed my way through the crowd.

To progress (through water) : plow the high seas.

Thus, the two connotations you are seeking are nicely encapsulated in this word.
Another beautiful and short word that fits the context is till, which AHD defines as—

To prepare (land) for the raising of crops, as by plowing and harrowing; cultivate.

On a personal note, I like till better than plow because it seems to convey better the sense of roiling up the earth for something productive.

chasly - supports Monica · Answer

Hardship and afflictions ? the earth of our heart(, plough it) and
uproot all the weeds, so that we may be free to run forward.

The intention of this is perfectly clear as a metaphor and it is correctly phrased. . However I'm not convinced that the metaphor makes sense. It is a lot easier to run on unploughed land than on ploughed land. This is because the furrows and the loose soil will slow you down and trip you. I know, I have tried!

Note
A capital is required after a question mark: Hardship and afflictions? The earth of our heart."
Also, in English we do not leave a space between a punctuation mark and the preceding word.  Thus "afflictions?", not "afflictions ?".

chasly - supports Monica · Answer

EDIT
In view of a comment below, I have changed my answer.
scour

scour - 5. To clear (an area) by freeing of weeds or other vegetation
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/scour

**Old answer**
> Hardship and afflictions ... the earth of our heart; uproot all the
> weeds so that we may be delivered of every regret, so that we may be
> able to look forward.

I have modified it a little as follows:

Hardship and afflictions are the earth of our heart. Uproot all the weeds so that we may be delivered of every regret; so that we may be able to look forward.

This makes sense in the form above. It is a convincing metaphor.

**Note**

I used a semicolon to replace a conjunction as follows:

Hardship and afflictions are the earth of our heart. Uproot all the weeds so that we may be delivered of every regret **and** so that we may be able to look forward.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/semicolon/

Conrado · Answer

The plough breaks ground

New Jersey Ag Agents often field calls like this from beginning farmers with small acreage and urban ag market gardeners who need to perform primary tillage, i.e., break ground for the first time. Working with a limited budget, they face the daunting task of opening up an old pasture like our farmer’s, or soils that are compacted and abandoned. (sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu)

Metaphorically, you could say: "Hardship and afflictions break up the earth of our hearts..."
Other options are furrow and gouge, both verbs:
Furrow:

to form or cut a long line or hollow in the surface of something (Cambridge)

Gouge:

to dig or cut into something in a rough or violent way (Cambridge)

"Hardship and afflictions furrow the earth of our hearts, rooting out weeds of..."

Greybeard · Answer

Hardship and afflictions till the earth of our heart(, plough it), uproot all the weeds so that we may be delivered of every regret, so that we may be able to look forward.

To till has the advantage of being a little old-fashioned, and this suits religious language.
OED:

till (v) tr., intr, absolute
4.a. transitive. To bestow labour and attention, such as ploughing, harrowing, manuring, etc., upon (land) so as to fit it for raising crops; to cultivate.
1625   N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. i. 8   Every man began..to till & manure the soil.
4 b. spec. To plough (land).
1863   H. Fawcett Man. Polit. Econ. i. iv. 48   The same ploughs till the land for many successive crops.
6. figurative. To cultivate (something figured as land or as a crop, e.g. the mind, a ‘field’ of knowledge, a virtue, etc.).
a1764   R. Lloyd Author's Apol. in Wks. (1774) I. 6   And tills their minds with proper care.

erickson · Answer

Although you've already accepted an answer, I would suggest "harrow."
Unlike plowing, which does not make a field easier to travel, harrowing leaves a smoother finish to the soil. It is often used as a way to remove weeds from a large area.
Further, harrowing is sometimes used in an alternate sense to describe a trial or hardship, which fits your metaphor.

Elliot · Answer

The word is Break.
Clearly the meaning is to break the earth of our hearts. It is to break our heart so that from the pain there will be growth. That we may be delivered of every regret, so that we may be able to look forward. The meaning of the action is the explicit, future, good purpose of the result.

Peter Shor · Answer

Ploughs turn the earth.
From Merriam-Webster

turn: 3 a (1): to dig or plow so as to bring the lower soil to the surface
turn the compost weekly.

"ploughing the earth of our heart"?

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