Reaping

In his letter to the Galatian church Paul says (Chapter 6:9) “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not loose heart.”  I’ve often read it and always seen it as a spiritual encouragement.  In verse 7 he says that God will not be mocked because whatever a man sows, he will also reap.  And that is so. If you fill your head and heart with rubbish that’s what will come spouting out.

Today I ate an apple and saved the seeds.  I decided that I would plant these seeds.  Once I had made the decision thought about how long it would take before I would actually be able to eat apples from my trees; assuming they actually grow!  I have no idea, but I don’t think it will be a quick process.  I have often heard people say that they wouldn’t plant certain trees because they take too long to bear fruit.  I immediately thought of the above-mentioned verse and how we would reap if we don’t loose heart.  For the first time I saw this verse in a more practical sense.

My apple seeds.

 

 

Oh my goodness! I just discovered how to do a caption!!! Never too old to learn.  So, I’m going to be planting these seeds very soon and I’ll be sure to keep you (and anybody else who’s willing to listen) up to date about their progress.  Coming back to Paul – he said that we shouldn’t give up on doing good and if we don’t give up we will eventually reap the fruit.  If I hadn’t started my garden I wouldn’t have had any beans or spinach or lettuce to eat. If I hadn’t dug over the ground and watered the seeds they wouldn’t have germinated and grown.  If I don’t remove the weeds the plants will get choked and their growth will possibly be stunted because the weeds will be competing with the plants for water and nutrients.

Lettuce

The peas are reaching for the sky.  Amazing what a bit of rain can do.

I think that in whatever we do we should remember Paul’s letter to the Galatians and we should learn patience.  We should think about what our goals are.  What are we aiming for?  Don’t get discouraged when things look like they’re taking way too long to happen.  Apple seeds take a long time to grow into apple trees, but once they are mature they bear apples for many years.  In the end it is worth it.  Sometimes we put a lot of effort into something (even into people) and we don’t see the results.  Just remember that the results always reflect the effort.  What you sow you will reap.  If you plant apple seeds you will reap apples.  Therefore if you invest positive time and effort in a project the reults will be positive.  The only thing you can’t always predict is how long it will take to see the results.

These are peas I harvested from my garden at home. I sowed these seeds before the seeds I sowed here at the shop.

I want to encourage you to sow.  Sow seeds, sow effort, sow love, sow whatever you have to sow and look out for the harvest that surely will follow.