Welcome to the second week of our homily series "The Harvest Principle." What is the "Harvest Principle?" It is simply this: you reap what you sow.
It’s a basic principle of life that we get from agriculture and farming. You plant a seed and if it receives the proper sunlight and rainfall, eventually, usually, you reap the effect of what you've planted.
This principle teaches us that life is interconnected. Our actions matter and they have consequences. What you do or fail to do impacts what happens later on. When we sow good seeds, we can expect good fruit. When we sow bad seeds, unfortunately, we can expect bad fruit. If you’re unhappy with a place in your life; your finances, your marriage, your relationships, your professional life, your fitness, then chances are you have sown and reaped yourself there. Likewise, if you are happy where you're at, at any place in your life, chances are that you've sown good seeds to get there.
The harvest principle is found throughout Scripture. It brings two important corollary principles along with it The first corollary principle is, you reap what you sow but it's always later. You don't plant a seed today, and tomorrow you have a harvest. That's not the way it works. It takes time. That's why this principle can be frustrating. It requires patience and vigilance. You reap what you sow but, it's later.
The second corollary principle is, you reap what you sow but it's always greater. The sowing and reaping effect multiplies over time. It multiplies in proportion to the seed sown. The more you plant the more you reap both for good and for bad, for better and for worse. It grows as it goes.
Today we want to look at one specific application of this principle, the most important application of all, the application of this principle when it comes to your character. Character, what's that? Well, character is the aggregate of features and traits that form the core nature of someone
Everybody's got a character. God gave it to you. One of the first things parents discover about their kids is their emerging character traits which are God-given. No character is bad to begin with. Over time your thoughts and feelings shape your actions and form habits. Eventually, each and every decision made and choice chosen, influences and shapes your character. Those decisions and choices determine your character.
Perhaps more than any other area of your life, you reap what you sow when it comes to your character, your character affects every area of your life. You'll take it with you everywhere you go. It becomes who you are.
"Your thoughts and feelings become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your character. More than any other area of your life, you reap what you sow when it comes to your character, and you reap later and greater. People who sow the wrong character seeds are headed down a very difficult path that can include unfortunate and unhelpful behaviors and attitudes that range from the merely unattractive to the downright self-destructive.
Similarly, people who are sowing the right kind of character seeds can flourish and enjoy nearly limitless advantages, including emotional health and strength. People of good and strong character don't depend upon external circumstances or people's opinions for their well-being or happiness. Very little can rob them of their peace of mind or joy of heart.
You reap what you sow when it comes to your character and it all comes down to your habits. Your habits are the seeds that you are sowing when it comes to your character.
Sow the seed of honesty in your life and you will become an honest person. Sow the seed of patience in your life, sow that seed in every difficult and disappointing situation, and over time, you will become a patient person. Same with seeds of generosity or self-control or kindness.
A few days ago we celebrated the feast of All Saints, or All Saints Day. Who are the Saints? Are they superheroes or superstars? Are they the lucky few of the Christian story? Certainly not.
Saints began as ordinary men and women like you and me. Some of them, like St. Paul, behaved very badly by killing followers of Jesus. Some saints sowed the wrong seeds before they changed. They changed by successfully cultivating the right habits when it came to shaping their character.
Many saints changed their lives, and so can you. If you find that you too need to sow better seeds, saints like St Paul, set a great example for us.
Saints are people who have reaped and sown themselves into great character because of their habits, and they did it according to a template that Jesus Himself gave to us.
This isn't a secret or rocket science. Jesus has laid it all out for us. He said, simply, follow me, and to Love God and our neighbor in everything we do.
Love of God and Love of neighbor are at the root of all the virtues we want to develop and grow during our lifetime. Jesus says the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. In other words, if you get these two commandments right, and practice them regularly, they will become a habit, everything else will naturally flow, and we will find ourselves in good relationship with God.
In these two commandments of love, Jesus points to the foundational virtues we are to have in order to receive the blessing of God, eternal life. And thus, we too become saints. This is Jesus’ blueprint for living. Practicing these two commandments is exactly how Jesus developed his human character. Remember Jesus is not just fully God, he is also fully human, he had to develop his human character, over time. That was not done for him. Character is built by the small choices and decisions you make every day based on love of God and love of neighbor. You reap the character you sow.
You reap what you sow and you reap it later and greater. That's a truth that we do well to recognize and honor in our lives. It's a fact that can help us understand our past and it’s consequences. But it's not a big stick to beat ourselves up with and feel bad about, no matter what's happened. Instead, think of it as a tool, one to use and leverage to your advantage moving forward. Where do you have the nagging feeling that you aren't sowing the right seeds?
Where do you feel prompted to sow better seeds, based on love of God and love of neighbor? Is it in your health, or in your finances, your career, your marriage or with your kids, perhaps in your relationship with God? Take it to prayer and talk about it with God because as important as this harvest principle is, it's important to acknowledge another reality governing life, one more powerful and more important. It's the reality of grace and mercy.
Grace and mercy trump everything. You are not defined by your past mistakes. You are far more than that. Whatever it is that you've sowed and reaped yourself into can change, because you can change. You can start sowing another harvest, a different harvest, a great and more abundant harvest.
You can listen to the audio version here:
Many saints changed their lives, and so can you. If you find that you too need to sow better seeds, saints like St Paul, set a great example for us.
Saints are people who have reaped and sown themselves into great character because of their habits, and they did it according to a template that Jesus Himself gave to us.
This isn't a secret or rocket science. Jesus has laid it all out for us. He said, simply, follow me, and to Love God and our neighbor in everything we do.
Love of God and Love of neighbor are at the root of all the virtues we want to develop and grow during our lifetime. Jesus says the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. In other words, if you get these two commandments right, and practice them regularly, they will become a habit, everything else will naturally flow, and we will find ourselves in good relationship with God.
In these two commandments of love, Jesus points to the foundational virtues we are to have in order to receive the blessing of God, eternal life. And thus, we too become saints. This is Jesus’ blueprint for living. Practicing these two commandments is exactly how Jesus developed his human character. Remember Jesus is not just fully God, he is also fully human, he had to develop his human character, over time. That was not done for him. Character is built by the small choices and decisions you make every day based on love of God and love of neighbor. You reap the character you sow.
You reap what you sow and you reap it later and greater. That's a truth that we do well to recognize and honor in our lives. It's a fact that can help us understand our past and it’s consequences. But it's not a big stick to beat ourselves up with and feel bad about, no matter what's happened. Instead, think of it as a tool, one to use and leverage to your advantage moving forward. Where do you have the nagging feeling that you aren't sowing the right seeds?
Where do you feel prompted to sow better seeds, based on love of God and love of neighbor? Is it in your health, or in your finances, your career, your marriage or with your kids, perhaps in your relationship with God? Take it to prayer and talk about it with God because as important as this harvest principle is, it's important to acknowledge another reality governing life, one more powerful and more important. It's the reality of grace and mercy.
Grace and mercy trump everything. You are not defined by your past mistakes. You are far more than that. Whatever it is that you've sowed and reaped yourself into can change, because you can change. You can start sowing another harvest, a different harvest, a great and more abundant harvest.
You can listen to the audio version here:
Comments
Post a Comment