October 6, 2008 Sowing & Reaping

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV)

A friend of mine told me that when she and her sister were children they made fun of another girl in their neighborhood who was mentally challenged and also overweight. Apparently they were merciless in their treatment of her, so much so that my friend felt guilty, in later years, as she came to know Christ and understand his words. Her understanding of the verse above was especially hard-hitting: “My sister gave birth to a child with Down’s syndrome, and I have always struggled with my weight.” She did not view these two situations as coincidences.

In the movie “Secondhand Lions” two gentlemen farmers and their nephew plant a garden after preparing the soil. A traveling salesman has sold colorful packets bearing the names and pictures of a wide assortment of vegetables, but in a few weeks, when the plants are growing high, it is obvious that only the packets which said “corn” were accurate—the entire garden is nothing but corn. As they sowed, so would they reap.

Even children are aware that when you plant a bean seed, you harvest beans. Broccoli seeds produce broccoli plants. Lettuce seeds, lettuce. Marigold seeds, marigolds. Whatever you sow you will, if you’ve taken care with your preparations, reap. It is a natural principle, one with profound spiritual applications.

The principle of sowing and reaping is often voiced during stewardship drives to encourage increased giving to churches or other ministries, but its truth goes far beyond finances. If we sow seeds of discord within church walls, how can we expect unity? If we plant seeds of distrust in our relationships, why are we surprised if (1) someone does not trust us or (2) others behave in an untrustworthy manner? The list of examples could go on and on.
On the other hand, when we continually and consistently sow love into a person’s life, we can be certain that we will not reap anything- in the long term- that is negative or hurtful. We can’t control the responses of other people, of course—it could take years of showing love to some people to allow sufficient time for the Lord to soften their stony hearts. But it’s worth a try isn’t?

The sooner we start planting those seeds of love, the sooner the harvest will come.

A friend of mine once commented on the importance of small steps by saying that one row of beans will produce a lot more beans than no row at all: one loving gesture, one word of encouragement, one attempt to sow something positive into the life of another human being…

Zechariah 4:10 speaks of not despising the day of small things. What seems small to us, even as small as a seed, may well produce a great harvest.