You Reap What You Sow




In 1988, we moved into a brand new subdivision, into a brand new house.  Except for the trees lining the street which were planted by the developer, all the yards were barren - a blank canvas to be filled with all manner of landscaping.

We did the usual small evergreen type bushes and azalea for along the front of the house.  Truth be told we will be going on our fourth re-do of shrubs for that area since moving in all those years ago.  :-/

Over time, we planted a dogwood and two apple trees in the front yard.  The year my daughter was born we planted a six foot pine tree that is now taller than the telephone pole out front.  My father-in-law lived behind a nursery that would discard perfectly good trees.  So we took a small poplar and drove it from New Jersey to Rhode Island planting it near the back right corner of our home.  The tree is absolutely beautiful and grew very quickly.  It is even taller than the pine I mentioned.

Over the years, as the trees matured, our yard looked established and nicely landscaped.

However, in the last three years, the very trees we planted are now causing significant issues to our home and yard...

The big pine tree has virtually destroyed our front yard with the acidity from the pine and the roots that are coming up through the yard.  The apple tree is growing up through the wires that attach from the telephone pole to our house.  Except for producing rotten apples, all the leaves fell off in the middle of the summer and it is looking like it will not survive another year.



And finally, the beautiful poplar tree's roots are growing into our foundation which was also once home to carpenter ants that ate through and destroyed one of our bedroom windows.

Sadly, all those trees are coming down tomorrow and at a significant cost to us, but also too, I LOVE the privacy and the beauty of these trees and will be so sad to see them go.  There will be a big void when they are gone.

It's amazing to me that the very trees we planted, are now going to cost us quite a bit of money to cut down and remove.

Isn't that true in the Spiritual life, we go ahead and plant things without having prayed about it, read Scripture or tried to discern God's will.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Galations 6:7-8

We may plant a "tree" that seems innocently placed, but then its roots start threatening the very foundation of our faith.  Or we plant a "tree" and find that it grows so big that we are in danger of hitting a "live wire" and getting burned.  And then the most insidious "tree" planting, it seems innocent enough, but we don't realize that the acidity that we can't see is snuffing out life from our healthy spiritual growth.

When we plant outside and even inside of ourselves without praying, seeking God's will or counting the cost, we take the risk of destroying once fertile spiritual areas of our lives and falling prey to backsliding.

Whether we realize it or not, every moment of every day we are planting "trees".  By staying in the Word of God and in close communion through prayer, we will have the discernment to know whether we are sowing for good or whether we could be sowing to our own injury or the injury of others.

All those years ago, had we assessed the surroundings of our yard and the proximity of the trees to those potentially dangerous areas or assessed the potentially negative impacts to our home, we could have avoided the expense of having those trees removed.

In the same way, if we constantly pray and discern God's will in all that we do and say, we will not carelessly plant to our demise, but will instead plant trees for the Kingdom of God.

...and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2 Corinthians 9:6b



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Comments

  1. Yes. If only we knew, when we were young, to think ahead. Now, that I'm in my mid-fifties I begin to think about how the things I do today lay foundation for tomorrow.

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    1. Praising God that we have built our lives on the Firm Foundation.

      Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  2. There are so many "trees" I have planted in my life that have lead to costly removal... However, God has used them time and again to show me how much I need Him. Thankful for His grace in my mistakes.

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    1. Thanks for sharing a very valuable insight which adds to the conversation. Indeed, it does cause us to see our great need of the Lord.

      Amen!

      Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  3. So true and I wish people would pay attention to it, too often what others sow has a bad effect on us.

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    1. Hi Rebecca, That's very true. Thanks for adding to the conversation, and thanks so much for stopping by.

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  4. Great post! We can jump in where angels fear to tread at times, thinking we are doing such a wonderous planting! Prayerful consideration is always important.

    You're most welcome to drop by for a cuppa,
    Blessings,
    Jennifer

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    1. Hi Jennifer, Thanks so much for your kind words and thanks for the invite! :-)

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  5. Such a timely read for me. I was just thinking this week about how I needed to be very careful to pray before taking steps forward on things. Thank you! May good things spring up where these trees once stood!

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    1. Hi Amy, Praising God for His perfect timing.

      Amen. Thanks for the encouraging thoughts. :-)

      And thanks for stopping by.

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  6. Yes, I am so thankful that the Lord wants to help us in our decision making, and in our sowing so that we can offer it all to Him, instead of to our own desires. But I love how that passage ends--whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. The Lord looks at the intention of our hearts, and even if we have made mistakes, He sees the deeper sowing that is in our hearts, and the bountiful overflow of our love for Him is so precious! Thank you for these great reminders today!

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    1. Hi Betty, Beautifully stated! Thanks so much for adding to the conversation.

      Your visits always bless me. :-)

      You are very welcome.

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  7. Such insight you share and analogy of that scripture. :)

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    1. Hi Peabea, Praising God for His leading. He has lessons for us everywhere. :-)

      Thanks for your kind words.

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  8. So sorry you are losing your wonderful trees. I agree we need to pray about all the "trees" we plant in our lives. Thanks for being sharing with us on the #LMMLinkup.

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    1. Hi Mary, Yes it was definitely hard at first. I'm still not happy with the one that's missing from the backyard as it has left quite a whole in the privacy hedges that our neighbor's had put up. But I actually don't mind how the front yard looks. It's nice to have a clean and new pallet.

      Thankful that the Lord makes us clean pallet as He redeems everything in our lives.

      You are very welcome.

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  9. Oh, sweet friend, I can so relate to planting trees and later having to have them removed. I remember doing that, and oh, it was SO sad to see the void and emptiness left behind. I, too, valued the privacy. But, the thoughts you brought out here are just profound. SO, so true. When we are young, we sow seeds thinking the "reaping" is soooo far off in the future, and we feel like we have forever to live life. Then we hit middle-age, and we start to see the harvest of those seeds, don't we? And all along throughout life, we are planting seeds that will one day produce the exact harvest. What we will sow will grow, and we can't go back and remove what started out as tiny as a seed. Good or bad, it will always be bigger after it begins to break through the soil and grow. The longer we let it grow, the more far-reaching it becomes —again, good or bad. God help us to think carefully before planting seeds! I think of this so often when considering the words I speak and am trying to be more careful to speak life into every situation. I need so much help from God. Thank you so much for another wonderfully edifying post. You are such a dear, dear blessing to me. Sending much love to you today!

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    1. Hi Cheryl, I soooo appreciate your additional insights here! You have added such blessing to this post!

      You are very welcome!

      I love and appreciate you soo much!

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  10. Wow! What a powerful analogy! I definitely needed to read this today so I'm very glad I stopped by! Thanks for sharing it at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
    Tina

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    1. Hi Tina, Praising God he brought you here. :-)

      You are very welcome!

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  11. An excellent object lesson! I'm sorry that you're losing your beautiful trees, but thank you for the time you spent reflecting on the loss and then writing this post. Real wisdom here.

    Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I'm featuring you this week!

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    1. Hi Richella, You are very welcome! Thanks so much for your very kind and encouraging words.

      And I appreciate so much the feature! Thank you!

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  12. Wonderful analogy! Lord, help me to remember that I'm constantly sowing and to be mindful of what I'm sowing.

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    1. Hi Julie, Thank you!

      Amen!

      Thanks so much for visiting.

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