Day 2 of 31: We Reap What We Sow

            We reap what we sow. My daily habits and priorities take precious time and attention.  What am I going to reap tomorrow from how I spend my minutes and hours today?

            We reap what we sow.  It puts a long-term spin on my perspective. Right now, can I see the fruit of what I sowed ten years ago or even one year ago?  What effect are my attachments having on my life currently, and what effect will they have on my life in the future?

            This is different from a math formula. We are not saying that input will automatically equal output.  Of course, I want a guarantee, a 100% warranty. I want justice; I want to get what I rightfully deserve…or do I? 

            I want to control what will happen to me. But reaping what we sow does not mean we can control what happens in our lives.  We know that we have no control over the weather. We can only pray to the Lord of the harvest. We can’t control what we reap. We can only keep following Jesus’ lead of what we should sow. 

My nephew & dad

            My dad and uncle are farmers. They plant corn and soybeans in the spring.  It’s simple, faithful work. Yet even farming feels like gambling. We watch the radar; we sit on the porch and beg the clouds. I’ve known the importance of a rain gauge since I was a little girl. Dad would call home and ask, “How many tenths did we get?” So I would check the rain gauge and tell him we got three-tenths of an inch of rain from the day’s rain shower.

Russ holding my new rain gauge! It felt like a perfect gift from my bank. :)

            If I had to describe the essence of sowing in one word, it would be discipline.  Yet how many times in my life have I despised discipline? I have resented mandatory basketball practices. I have resented homework deadlines. I so often just want to do what I want to do. I just want to eat what I want to eat.  I want to read what I want to read.  I’m beginning to hear how selfish I sound…

            Often when I am working on something that needs to be done, I think about what I would rather be doing: reading fiction, reading blogs, reading articles, reading funny tweets, eating chocolate, eating pizza, eating cinnamon bagels, sleeping in, napping, watching TV, watching funny youtube videos, having “me time,” taking a walk in peace and quiet, dancing to loud music, etc.  I enjoy all these activities, but if I am not careful, I can let these things become addictions.  My cravings for them can become idols.  Reading could become more important to me than listening to my friend’s problems.  Having “me time” could become more important to me than helping carry others’ burdens.

            One of my professors in college had a sign in his office that said, “I’d rather be reading Flannery O’Connor.”  When I first saw this sign, it was love at first sight.  I was familiar with the author Flannery O’Connor and enjoyed her short stories.  I thought the sign was brilliant because there were so many times in college that I would rather be reading Flannery O’Connor than my chemistry textbook.  

            My attitude can often be I’d rather be doing this or that.  But lately, I have been looking deeper into the flaws of this attitude.  If I am to teach God’s Word to the next generation, would I really rather be sleeping in than coming early to set up the classroom and practice the lesson?  If I am to practice Christlike sacrificial love, then would I really rather be reading than listening to my friend?  If I am to be a light in darkness, then would I really rather be watching TV or youtube more often?  If I am to love the least of these, then would I really rather have lots of “me time”?  Asking these questions helps me to purify my desires.

In Galatians 6:7-9, we read, “A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

As a junior in high school, I read The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. Wilkinson wrote, “What counts is knowing who you want to be and asking for it.” So in 2004, I wrote that statement in my journal because it made sense to me.  I had to think about who I wanted to be in 5 years and 10 years to know how I should spend my time. 

It’s interesting to me that I am now thinking about that statement almost exactly 10 years after I wrote it in my journal in 2004.  Today I am reaping what I sowed from the discipline I showed 10 years ago, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that my junior year in high school was the most intentional and disciplined I have ever been in my life.  I’m glad that I have lightened up since then, but I am also grateful to still be reaping from the intentionality I showed that year.

Today I am 26.  What am I going to reap in 10 years from how I spend my minutes and hours today?

I don’t actually like to think about being in my late thirties (no offense to anyone in their late thirties and older), but I have to remember the law of the harvest: we reap what we sow.  This doesn't mean I can control everything that will happen to me anymore than a farmer can control the weather. But it does mean that I can trust the Lord of the harvest and day by day be faithful to him.
Thankfully, I get to see and touch the fruit of my labor from the last 2 years.  I was diligent to save and to plan to build my house, and now I have a house!

The question is now…What can we do this year to sow good things for the years to come? We can’t see it yet, but we will see it one day! #seeingtheunseen

I like my little porch light on the back of my house. :)