PLANTING SEEDS
Have you ever stopped to consider that life is “One Great School”? Well, there was a time when that reality was obscured from my mind, but I still learned a lesson. About ten years ago, my husband was planting seeds in a garden. It was taking a long time and I was ready to go home. I offered to help so that we could finish faster. He handed me some grains of corn and told me to place two or three grains in each hole that he had dug.
It was getting late. I was tired. I wanted to go home. I had children at home. With all those justifications, I devised a plan. It was all about me. Just me! The innate selfishness reared its ugly head. Surely I can finish fast, so I placed five, six or seven grains in each hole. In no time, I was through and felt proud that I had speeded up the process.
A couple weeks later it became evident that I did not follow directions. Six and seven plants sprung up in one hole. In planting them that way, I got home earlier, but they had to be uprooted and transplanted separately. Time had been wasted. I had good intentions, but what was farthest from my mind was the fact that the grains would grow.
REFERENCES: (Galatians 6: 7-10 ; Acts 17: 26-28; Luke 10:30-37)
Galatians 6: 7-10 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
1. So it is in life. We are always planting, and sometimes we forget that there will be a harvest. We plant both good and not so good seeds. Some good seeds we sow may be any of the following: acts of kindness; encouraging someone; lending a listening ear; interceding; driving politely; visiting the sick; calling someone just to say, “Hi”; providing a shoulder to lean on and/or just being plain civil. Moral consciousness and acts of benevolence make for a partial fulfillment of the Golden Rule. (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.) At times we think it’s just out of the goodness of our heart why we are compassionate, but we should always strive to make God proud.
Luke 6:38 NKJV 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” If only that principle were applicable to giving of our substance, only! We would all be on cloud nine when we give money. Sad to say, sometimes deliberately or subconsciously, we give selfishness and deeds that we are not particularly proud of. I’m sure we can all list some ugly deeds that we have either done or experienced. Let us be mindful of those, since our lifestyle affects, first, our immediate family and then it extends to the community at large. When we respond inappropriately to circumstances, there may/may not be an immediate harvest.
Galatians 6:7 says, “…whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Whatever means whatever! As surely as day follows night and night follows day, reaping time will come. Don’t misunderstand, trying to sow good seeds always, (nobody does), does not make us immune to troubles. They are a necessary part of life, but imagine the great misery and unrest we feel when those troubles are a direct result of our misdeeds. God, The Creator, is available to help us do the right thing if we allow Him. He expects our total dependence on Him.
Acts 17: 26-28 26 And He has made from one blood[c] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.
2. Can we imagine the difference it would make if we practise the God-conscious lifestyle that we are one big family? Hopefully we will not set out to hurt or ignore our siblings– community-wise, state-wise and ultimately, world-wise. Be an advocate for doing that which is right. The first step in allowing God to help us is by acknowledging that the heart is basically self-centered. We need Him as Lord and Savior. What does that mean? As Lord, He controls our thought processes and cause us to be considerate of our fellowman. As Savior, He cleanses us from evil. It also means that we remember that we are of one blood and that requires us to show love to each other.
Should it matter that we are not of one skin tone? No! How about trading places sometimes? Try walking in the other person’s shoes. He/she may just be facing difficulties for which he/she can’t readily find a solution. Someone may need could be just a smile. It costs nothing, but has big rewards. We may not know that it made someone’s day. We should look for opportunities to be a blessing. Chains that have taken a foothold may become broken.
Luke 10:30-37 30Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”37And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
3. As a rule, we do not equate giving of ourselves with, planting. As we inadvertently plant good seeds today, may we expect an abundant harvest of goodness and mercy. To reap a good harvest we must sow good seeds, thus laying the foundation and opening doors for our own blessing. It may be that our harvest is embedded in our obedience to God’s word, “Go and do likewise”. We encounter our neighbor everyday.
These words penned by Julia Fletcher Carney,: “Little deeds of kindness, little words of love help to make earth happy, like the heaven above”, seem like an excellent mantra for everyone. The impact on this generation has far-reaching effects that continue for generations to come.
Genesis 8:22 says : While the earth remains seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer and day and night shall not cease. Sowing and reaping are both inevitable and non-negotiable.
REFLECTION
What will you choose to plant today for the good of our ‘family’?
Dr. O. A. James