The precept of reaping and sowing can cause angst for many. The very idea we are responsible for the results of our own efforts is not easily excepted today.
In fact, there are those who have become “soured by sowing”. They are dissatisfied with their situations and refuse to accept they are reaping the results of their efforts.
Unfortunately, this mindset is being reinforced at every turn. Victimhood and entitlement are both by-products of this type of thinking which is leading to a perspective that can stifle the desire and effort it takes to achieve.
Early in my own life I was told, “you will get out of this life what you put into it”. This simple truth has had a profound effect on me my entire life.
The idea my effort could directly impact my results continues to echo in my mind today. Because of this, when I have become dissatisfied with my situation, I have strived to change it.
This has not guaranteed my success, nor has it assured my achievement would be at the same level as someone else’s. It has simply helped me to understand, if I make the effort to sow more, I can reap more. If I do not, I will not.
We all need to grasp and grapple with this concept. When we do, we will learn instead of asking why we do not have more, to ask if we have given our best effort to acquiring the things we have?
The satisfaction that comes with reaping a harvest we have planted ourselves will not only change our perception, it will teach us how sweet it is to reap something we have sown.
Taking responsibility for our own life must be at the forefront of our thinking. If not, we may find we are our most limiting factor.
So, instead of being “soured by sowing”, we need to anticipate the harvest that comes from the process itself.
When we do, we will not only understand “we reap what we sow”, we will be filled with the satisfaction of knowing we have done just that!
2 Corinthians 9:6, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
