I am a true
believer in the Scripture that says you reap what you sow. Those two words, reap and sow, are not
commonplace in today’s vernacular. There are far fewer people today who grew up
in a farming community who immediately place a clear, concise mental image in
their head when they hear or read those words.
Reaping is the act of gathering, or cutting down and then gathering, of
the harvest. Sowing is the act of
throwing down the seed, or in modern times, having a machine seed the soil for
you. If you plant corn, you will get
corn. If you plant asparagus, you will
get asparagus. You will harvest the product contained in the seeds you tossed out earlier.
The author
of Galatians noted this act in Chapter 6, verse 7 when he immediately saw the
parallel between these two acts of farming and the walk of common man.
"Don't be misled; remember that you can't
ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop
he sows!"
If you want to judge a man, an American humorist once said,
you should not look at him in the face but get behind him and see what he is
looking at, what he is sowing.
Then you will see the true nature and life-purpose of this man.
Remember that if you plant garbage seeds, you will get
garbage. If you sow deceit, anger,
jealousy, rage – that is what you will gather at harvest time. Remember also, as the humorist said, that
some people may be really good at throwing down the seed they want everyone to
see, but their eyes and hearts are elsewhere.
So step behind someone and take a look at what they are looking at. What
drives them? What motivates them to act
day to day? Are they focused more upon
themselves than on others?
I heard this advice once and now give it to husbands and
wives to be. Ladies – watch how his
father treats his wife. That is your
future. Men – watch how her mother
treats her husband. That is your future.
