‘You Reap What You Sow’ – Is That Really True?

Most of us are familiar with the phrase, “You reap what you sow.” But have you ever wondered about what that means – or if it’s really true?

 

In one respect, it’s absolutely true. As I recently heard a speaker observe, “If you sow cabbage, don’t expect to reap carrots.” Although wouldn’t it be interesting if we could sow both cabbage and carrots together? We might be able to reap coleslaw!

 

However, in many cases it might be more accurate to state, “You reap more than you sow.” For instance, if you’re a farmer and sow a single kernel of corn, you still would expect to reap more than just one kernel of corn. Whatever we sow, we typically expect to reap a lot more of it.

The same applies to our actions and behaviors. As the adage tells us, “You attract more flies with honey than vinegar.” Galatians 5:22-23 lists what it calls “the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” If those characteristics are evident in our lives, it’s likely that we’ll encourage others to respond in like manner. 

 

We might see a corresponding result when people fail to exhibit such godly traits. A few verses earlier, Galatians 5:19-21 offers this sobering picture: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy….” 

 

Those behaviors aren’t likely to cultivate an environment of peace and goodwill. It all depends upon which we choose to “sow.” As Proverbs 15:1 observes, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

 

We find this principle summed up succinctly in Galatians 6:8, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Indulging one’s desires might seem like a good idea, but if not controlled they can in fact reap disastrous results. On the other hand, if our intentions are to please God, “denying self” as Jesus termed it in Luke 9:23, the outcome is much more than good deeds – it’s life for all eternity.

 

Recently I read an interesting verse that stated, “Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart” (Psalm 97:11). We typically don’t think of light as a seed, or that it’s something we can sow. But we live in a world that seems increasingly dark. Up it seems has become down, and down has become up. When there’s great darkness, even the smallest light can make a profound difference.

 

Being in a predominantly agrarian society, one of the metaphors Jesus Christ often used was sowing seed. In the 8^th chapter of the gospel of Luke we find Him telling His “Parable of the Sower,” using the image of seeds for the Word of God. In the story, some of a farmer’s seeds fall along a path, others fall on rocky ground, some fall among thorns, and others fall on good soil.

 

The path, rocky ground and thorns are not suitable for the seeds to take root and bring about life. However, as Jesus said, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown” (Luke 8:8). The first three “soils” represented people who heard but didn’t respond well to the saving Word of God. 

 

Not so with the good soil: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8: 15). If you’re a follower of Christ, you’re among those that experienced the Word of God falling on the good soil of your heart.

This for me raises two questions: First, what kind of crop am I producing? And second, am I willingly seeking to sow the seed of God’s Word in such a way that others might receive it and themselves retain it, find God changing their lives through it, and then beginning to produce a crop themselves, one that will last for eternity? 

‘Tis Always the Season for Sowing and Reaping

Here many of us are in the dead of winter, gazing at barren tree limbs, dormant flower beds and maybe even a coating of snow on the ground. Because of this, most of us probably aren’t giving a lot of thought to things like planting flowers or vegetable gardens. But one doesn’t need a green thumb to be actively engaged in the process of sowing and reaping year-round.

Recently I was reminded of this while reading a familiar quote tagged at the end of a friend’s email. It read:

Sow a thought, and you reap an act.

Sow an act, and you reap a habit.

Sow a habit, and you reap a character.

Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.

 

This isn’t talking about little seeds and different forms of vegetation; it concerns something much more important. It’s about the little things we do each day which don’t seem to matter, but if cultivated, repeated and nurtured over time, make a dramatic difference in the course of one’s life.

One example many of us can easily relate to is snacking at night. My wife and I will be watching TV, only an hour or so after eating a hearty dinner, and I’m thinking, ‘What can I eat?’ It’s often because I’m seeing folks on the TV screen eating something, or I’ve just viewed a commercial about potato chips or some fast-food restaurant. My stomach is still full, but suddenly, I’m “hungry.”

 

If this were just a one-time or occasional occurrence, it wouldn’t be a problem. But it happens night after night, same scenario. I had the thought initially, then I acted on it. When I acted on it again, it started to turn into a habit. If the habit becomes a dominating part of life, it affects my character. Then, potentially, it can affect my destiny.

 

We could apply this behavioral progression to many things, ranging from spending practices to alcoholism to viewing salacious content on the computer. Name the controlling behavior and you can bet it started as a simple thought, advanced into an act, turned into a habit, slowly shaped a character and then, perhaps, transformed into a destiny. From a negative perspective, that’s how addictions are created.

 

“You reap what you sow,” it’s said. But in truth, we reap much more than we sow. Whoever planted a kernel of corn with the intention of reaping just one more kernel of corn? Or placed a tomato plant in a garden with hopes of it producing a single tomato?

 

The key, it seems, is not to steer clear of the sowing and reaping principle, but to be cautious about what it is we’re sowing. This is one reason Proverbs 4:23 warns us to, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” What are your affections? What are those things that dominate your thoughts and attention?

 

In Proverbs we find several passages that deal with sexual temptation, with good reason. While they’re directed toward younger men, these warnings apply equally to men and women. After observing that, “The lips of an adulteress drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword,” the writer sternly warns, “Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house…. At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent” (Proverbs 5:3-11). A grim image, for sure.

 

The Ten Commandments are viewed by some as a series of do’s and don’ts, rules and regulations handed down by a spoilsport deity. But in reality, they’re guidelines for successful, joyous living. They prescribe for us where we should direct our hearts – and where we shouldn’t. If we ever wonder, “How should I guard my heart?” the commandments provide answers.

 

As recorded in Exodus 20:1-17, commandments 1-4 address our relationship with God, making Him the foremost priority of our lives: Have no gods other than the one true God. Don’t worship idols. Don’t misuse or profane God’s name. Designate a day for rest and renewal, just as He rested after His six days of creation.

 

The remaining commandments concern our relationships with others, including our parents, neighbors and strangers. The sixth commandment instructs “Do not murder,” a teaching Jesus later clarified in His “sermon on the mount” to include harboring angry, destructive thoughts toward others. “You have heard that it was said to people long ago, ‘Do not murder,’ and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…” (Matthew 5:21-26).

 

Commandments 7-10 address adultery, stealing, lying, and coveting the possessions of another. In each case, these are actions that most likely don’t arise from random impulses, but have followed the pattern of sowing first a thought, then an act, then a habit, which shaped a character, and perhaps led to the formation of a destiny.

 

So, while gazing from the warmth of our homes at a cold, bleak outdoors, it would be wise to remember that we’re still cultivating, sowing and reaping. Are we guarding our hearts by following Jesus’ admonition to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… [and] love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31), or are we sowing negative actions and habits that will result in regretful consequences?