Humbly accepting the implanted word

Mark 4  The Sower has scattered his seed upon my heart. How do I keep the soil rich and healthy so the word can do its work within me? What makes good soil?  Perhaps the answer is found in an aptly placed adverb: humbly.  "...humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts..." (James 1:21) . Is humility the trowel that harrows through the hardness and makes my heart ready to, "let the word of Christ richly dwell within [me]..." (Colossians 3:16)  ?