I had a mentor several years ago who taught about growth, focus and vision. It has stuck with me for a long time and I wanted to share it with you.
1. You always reap what you sow
In Genesis 1:11-12 it says: And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.
Planting a corn seed results in a corn plant. Of course we can’t expect a cucumber plant. If there’s an area of your life where you don’t like the harvest, it’s up to you to change the seed you’re planting. If you want more love from those around you, plant seeds of love into them first. If you want more patience, plant more seeds of patience. You can only control the seeds you plant, not the seeds of anyone else.
2. You reap more than you sow
In Matthew 13, Jesus told a parable about a farmer planting seed. As the farmer scattered seed, some landed on shallow soil but didn’t last because the plant withered, while others were choked off by other thorny plants as they grew. “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
A single corn kernel produces about 560 kernels per ear and 1-2 ears per plant. On average, that’s around 800 kernels per plant…from a single seed! Expect multiplication from the seeds you plant. The important part though, is that the multiplication depends on how fertile the soil is.
3. You reap in a different season than you sow
This one is tough. We’re generally not very patient. Commitment to a principle or lifestyle discipline is hard. Whether you persevere in THIS season, or not, depends on how big your ‘why’ is. The Apostle Paul (who was committed to telling people about Jesus even when it was REALLY hard) was writing to an early group of Christ-followers and as he’s wrapping up his letter he says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Some of the things they were doing were really hard too, and he was encouraging them to continue serving and blessing others.
Don’t stop the disciplines you know are healthy – physical, emotional and spiritual. All you’re responsible for is planting seed. Continually plant seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Don’t look up at the harvest. The harvest is coming – but don’t worry about it. Here’s the thing – the harvest may not be for you. Read that again. The harvest may be to bless someone else, and you may have no idea it even happened.
What kind of seeds are you planting when life is difficult? Or when no one is watching? Those seeds will produce a harvest, desired or not. Keep planting seeds of LIFE!
