What you sow ...
For some reason, I’ve been thinking about gardening this week.
That makes no sense at all. Although you are reading this in April, the week in which it was written has been a snowy week: A week in which the First Day of Spring came in like the proverbial lion, with over a foot of snow in our backyard.
Not only that, but I actually don’t like gardening all that much.
I know that’s almost heresy to those of you with green thumbs. Perhaps if I had the emerald touch, too, I’d feel differently. But I don’t, more’s the pity.
We do have a 4x4 raised bed garden in which we raise weeds surrounded by pesky tomato, pepper and cucumber plants.
But it wasn’t actually that garden I’ve been thinking of.
It’s more like the garden of my life. What have I sowed there? And what, eventually, will I reap?
When we sow discord, often we reap dislike and conflict. When we sow peace we reap the reverse – love and patience. When we sow confusion, we reap more of the same. When we can sow love, we reap great joy.
Sometimes it’s hard to know just what we’re sowing. This had me thinking – what are some of the things I could be doing that would bring back a harvest of good things to me and to others? I came up with a few:
Kindness. I know that seems almost trite, but when you sow kindness, you really do reap good feelings, acceptance and lots of good vibes. Being kind can sometimes be challenging, but is nearly always worth the effort.
Taking the high road. This is something I say all the time. It is wrong to take the high road, and most often that is where the biggest blessing lies. I will never be sorry that I am not reaping gossip, vengeance and retribution, even if it is sometimes the most difficult thing in the world to stay on that high and lonely path.
Peace. Everyone loves to be around those who are peaceful, those the everyday annoyances of life don’t seem to rattle, who manage to project calm in trying situations. When we can be peaceful, others are drawn to us and we have a chance to directly affect their lives in positive ways.
Patience. Nothing is more stressed in our busy everyday lives than our patience. When we can manage to corral our impatience and give people space, it can be a lovely thing, a blessed pause in everyone’s life.
Faith. It’s important to me to be known as a woman of faith, a woman “after God’s own heart.” I’ve found that sowing this reaps more faith, not only for me, but for those around me as well.
Presence. I’ve written on this before, but what a gift it is to actually be present with others – to sit with them in their distress, to rejoice with them when the situation is wonderful, and to weep with them when it is not.
Love. It’s hard to love those who are unlovely, who have hurt us or our loved ones, who don’t sow good things in their own lives. Yet these are the people who most need to feel love from us, and, when we can give it, they are often the ones who are most grateful.
I would like to be the kind of person who sows these things -- and not negative things -- in my life and in the lives of others. It’s my goal to be kind, patient, peaceful, present, loving and always taking the high road. Do I achieve that? Absolutely not. But it’s not a bad thing to aim for.
I would like my “garden” to always include things that others can find lovely, things sown there that grow good plants that will provide a harvest for myself, my family and others. I think it’s a worthy goal, don’t you?
If you would like help figuring out how to sow good things in your life, or you are affected by negativity sown by yourself or others, I urge you to imagine being your best self. We at Sanctuary Christian Counseling can help you get there.
Sanctuary Christian Counseling LLC
www.sanctuarychristiancounseling.com
9974 Molly Pitcher Highway, Suite 4
Shippensburg, PA 17257
717-200-3158
susan@sanctuarychristiancounseling.com
andrea@sanctuarychristiancounseling.com
ellen@sanctuarychristiancounseling. com
