SOWING AND REAPING

SOWING AND REAPING

There are concepts that are crossovers between the spiritual and world realm of understanding and application. “You reap what you sow” is one of them. Most understand that consequence follows an action… positive actions beget positive outcomes…negative actions negative outcomes. The concept is grounded biblically and in the natural order of cause and effect. Reaping what you sow is the same concept of karma, one reaps what one sows – one reaps where one sows – one reaps in proportion to what one sews. All of these are absolutes on the one hand and not so much on the other…leading me to think that one is likely to reap what, where and in proportion to what is sown but it is not a given. I am sure you have examples, as do I, when an action produced a reaction that exceeded my expectations or was much less than I could ever foresee.

In the spring, I sowed banana pepper seeds. They sprouted and ultimately one seedling survived – I sowed more than one seed! The one seedling grew healthy, strong, and bloomed. I harvested more than sixty pods of pepper from the lone plant… a disproportionately large harvest for the seeds planted and for one plant.

Good deeds have begotten negative reactions. Mistakes/bad deeds have graciously been overlooked and dismissed. In this vein I want to lay another concept on this proverbial table – reaping what I have not and where I have not sown.

All summer and into autumn, I wrote about corn, watermelon and now, pepper seeds that I intentionally planted. I have not mentioned the giant tomato plant that grew alongside the watermelon plant. I did not plant cherry tomato seeds in the front yard or anywhere else.

I registered weed when I noticed the small green bush growing. I bruised the plant when I reached to remove it and the smell signaled tomato plant. “Odd,” I thought, but decided to let it be. I watched the plant grow bigger daily but was convinced that I would never harvest any fruit because it didn’t bloom. I went away for twelve days and returned to find minute pale yellow blossoms AND petite green tomatoes.

This tomato plant parallels much of my life. I have reaped where I have and have not sown. The tomatoes and peppers illustrate both sides of this concept. I harvested and prepared meals from both. I have reaped disproportionately to what I have sown.

I am grateful that the bad seeds I have sown have produced unexpected and acceptable fruit sometimes. I am equally grateful for the places and time I have gotten what I didn’t sow. I am most thankful when I have sown good seeds and reap what, where and above expectations of what was sown.

2 Corinthians 9:6

PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Sow what you want to grow. Expect to get what you planted. That’s what is likely to happen.