Ah! Reaping & Sowing

"What goes around comes around." I heard these words often when I was a kid. I think my mom was trying to tell me something. :) I was an angry child and had a mean streak in me that was completely unnecessary. Somewhere in that childhood of mine, my momma knew I needed to hear these words and I'm sure she hoped I'd figure them out.

What I didn't know as a child, is this is a Biblical principle. And when a principle is Biblical, it is applicable to everyone - regardless if they believe in the Bible, in Jesus, or even in God. It's universal and you cannot escape it.

The Amplified translates the text as follows:

2 Corinthians 9:6

[Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also
reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously and
that blessings may come to someone, will also reap generously
and with blessings.

You reap what you sow.

I'm 37 years old. And while I'm not one who "hates" birthdays, I see that number, and I think about the next number and then I put that into context of the 4-0 and I find that difficult to believe. I don't feel like I've lived almost 40 years. And it's not because I'm overly irresponsible. I have my moments. It's not because I'm supremely immature. Although, I can be. It's because the more I learn, the more I experience, the more I understand there is so much I don't know! I still have a very long way to go.

There have been seasons in my life I've sown good seed. And there have been seasons in my life I've sown bad seed. And I've seen the repercussions of both. Let me break this down a tad. Check out or hang with me. Up to you. :)

The more I help other people because I have the time, the talent, or the resources to meet their needs, the more help I will receive in my times of need.

The more I help other people because I want something in return, the more I find myself fretting over solutions to my own problems.

The more I stand back and watch, shaking my head about, "that's too bad," or "that's so sad," and then return to selfishness doing nothing to help, the more I find myself isolated and alone with only God to bring a miracle to get me out of my mess.

I've lived each of these three scenarios to varying degrees and with varying outcomes equal to my own efforts and reasons behind it. Let me tell you, I may only be 37, but I've figured out doing things to make God smile brings me more peace and joy than I can contain and literally erases a lot of my worries.

We don't have an overabundance of a lot of things, but I am making time to serve. And from that time of serving, I find myself re-energized. I find that I'm more laid back and yet eager to do more. I look forward to the projects. I literally do not care what I'll be asked to do. I don't care how tedious it is, I don't care how messy it is, I don't care how dirty it is. I want to give God everything I have because I want to serve Him. I know in doing this, He will meet our needs. But honestly, He would meet them even if I didn't serve. And some ask, "then why do it?"

It's not about having my needs met or receiving blessings. It's about knowing that I'm giving back. It's about knowing that God can count on me to do whatever He's called me to do. It's about making Him smile and making Him happy. It's about allowing Him to shape and mold my heart into whatever He has designed. It's about fully trusting Him and owning the understanding He will not lead me into something He will not bring me through. Everything I encounter can be turned around to glorify God. Everything. Even the messes I create myself. He can massage the situation and bring me out of my own pit, hose me off, and restore me when there isn't a way possible. And when He does that, I have to give Him credit. I have to acknowledge Him. I have to honor Him.

He's rescued me from a lot of mistakes. He's hosed me off many, many times in my life. He's made a path when there were only thorns in front of me. He's parted seas for me when I was cornered by my rapidly approaching enemies. He's fed me when I couldn't feed myself. He's kept me in a home when I feared losing it. He's taken things from me I placed above Him. He's pulled me to my knees. He's put me on my face. He's knocked me off the tower when I began believing Satan's lies that I was elevated through my own work. He's reminded me elevation comes from Him. Elevation is related to His favor, not my work.

In one of my conversations with God yesterday, I was praising Him and glorifying Him for healing for several friends and friends of friends. And I said, "Father, I want to live another 50 years and spend it honoring you." I calculated that and realized I'd be 87. So, I decided that I'd rather be 100 and changed the time frame. :)

I'm not as naive as I sound. I know there will continue to be things in my life that come against me. I know with each victory I will face a new test or trial. I know there will be seasons of hardship. I know there will be times of sorrow and grief. I know sometimes my heart will be broken. I know I will still find myself worrying about this or that. But my declaration for myself is that these difficult times will have an increasingly shorter limit. By that, I mean that I will recognize sooner each and every time it's a test or a trial. And I will glorify God sooner and thank Him for deliverance. I pray for myself that I will recognize and remember Who is on the throne and Who is in control. And that I will maintain the peace that rests in my heart today.

This is also my prayer for you. If you've made it this far in this entry, either you love me or God has called you to this. If you're still reading, whether you're in your teens, 20s, 30s, 60s, 80s.... It doesn't matter. Today can be the day you adopt a new outlook as well. Today can be the day you look into your future and you decide you want to remember Who sits on the throne. You want to remember Who created you, Who thought you into existence, Who accepts you exactly as you are, Who believes in you regardless of your decisions of the past and your mistakes of the future.

You have never been alone. You may have tried to walk away, but if you've ever accepted Christ into your heart, He's never left you. As a matter of fact, He's followed you. He's protected you when you didn't realize it. He's steered you another direction. He's heard the prayers of others and listened to them. He's not angry with you. He loves you. Unconditionally. I think that's a difficult word for us to understand because it's difficult for us to do. But with Christ, it isn't impossible. It is just His way. Turn around. His arms are open. Fall at His feet, and He will pick you up. He will hose you off. And He will set your feet upon a rock. Him.

If you've never accepted Christ, if you've never found yourself able to intellectually believe the "story" of the Gospel could be true, turn off your intellect and open your heart. Christ isn't a "head guy", He's a "heart guy". And He's been chasing you. He's followed you because He loves you. Turn around and face Him. Consider the times in your life you believed "it just worked out." Open your mind to the possibility that it worked out because God made it work. Pray about it.

If you've never prayed, and you've seen preachers on TV or heard sermons in other ways and you think the people are talking crazy and you could never sound like that, you don't have to. God speaks your language. You don't have to speak His. You simply talk to Him. If you're angry at Him. Tell Him. If you don't understand why this happened or that happened. Tell Him. Confess your heart to Him and allow Him to touch you.

Begin the walk. It will change how you see everything. It won't save you from trials or tough times. But it will give you a power, a strength and a peace you will not understand and you will not be able to contain it. It's infectious in the best possible way. God loves you. Nothing you could ever do could change that. Open yourself to Him and allow Him to help you become who you were designed to be.

Father God, I thank you for the opportunity before me to share the things you've placed upon my heart with others. I thank you for the blessings you've given me and the burning desire to share your light. God, I pray for each and every person who comes across this post. I pray, Father, that through these words they will hear what you need them to hear. I pray, God, that you will do a work in them and help them escape the condemnation they feel from the enemy. I pray that you will free them from disease, addictions, selfishness, greed, living in their pasts, anything that binds them, Father, I pray right now in the name of Jesus they will be released, restored and healed. I pray you will lead them to positive, healthy supportive communities. I pray, Father, they will seek you and grow closer to you. Lord, where they have anxiety, bring them peace; where they have depression or despair, bring them joy and hope; where they have hatred, bring them love; where they have anger and resentment, bring them forgiveness. Father God, I pray that each will be showered with your grace and your mercy so much that they have no choice but to pass it along to others. In Jesus' name, Amen!