Sowing and Reaping

I went for a walk this morning and was thinking about sowing and reaping. It’s such a powerful reality, but the words sound archaic and religious, so we don’t think about them, much less use them in conversation. And it’s such a simple truth that we become careless with it. Without hesitation, we will agree with a negative thought and let it take us wherever it wants to go- into anxiety, anger, bitterness, and fear. We cultivate them unconsciously until they become automatic responses to stress. If we do it long enough, they define our identity. And we project that fruit at everyone around us. We make people either live in the same negativity, or force them to find ways to cope with ours. We want healthy relationships and a good life, but because we can only imagine those things from the hole we’re in, the best we can do is to try and control people and circumstances in our own strength, rather than empowering them from God’s. Instead of blessing others as we grow in His plans for us, we plant seeds of destruction into our hopes, dreams, and all our relationships. And then we wonder why nothing good ever happens to us.

For the moment, don’t try and fix what’s broken. If you’re still in the dark, then you’re not going to be able to do it right. Even asking forgiveness needs to be the right way at the right time. For now, just spend your time with God. Let Him turn your lights back on to what is real, “what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable” (Phil 4.8). Let Him sow grace, truth, healing, wholeness, love, joy, and peace into all the negative places in your heart and mind. Those grow fast, and will take over, if you will cultivate them intentionally every day.

Let me sow one thought into you today as you sit down with Him: There may be consequences for your choices, but if you will allow it, God’s grace will enable you to deal with every one of them in peace, strength, and joy. And no matter what has happened, or what you’ve messed up, you are a child of God. You do not have to live below the thriving, powerful person that God sees you as.