One Sunday afternoon I was playing ultimate Frisbee with some of the students in my youth group in Altoona and when I went to make a quick turn in one direction, my knee decided to go in the other. I went down and was in pain for several days but like all good men, I just shrugged it off. Not long after that, my knee would pop out of joint at odd times and I would hyperextend my leg to get things lined up again. This went on for several years and I just laughed it off as a trick knee. I was helping my sister paint a new condo they were moving into when my knee popped out of joint again, but this time it wouldn’t go back in.
Long story short, I had a torn ACL. After the reconstruction surgery, the protocol for therapy was 3 days a week for 10 weeks. The problem was that my insurance wasn’t going to pay for that many visits so I asked my physical therapist if I could come 2 days a week for 10 weeks if I promised to do all the exercises at home. After the first week of watching me in therapy, he agreed. I’ll be honest, my motivation for being diligent in doing the therapy wasn’t to get better, it was to keep from having to pay out of pocket for the extra therapy visits.
During those 10 weeks, I did every exercise they asked me to do and then some. At the beginning, if they asked me to do 10 reps, I did 11. I didn’t want to overdo it and create a problem, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to need any extra visits. Eventually when they asked me to do 10, I would do 12. When they pushed it to 20, I would do 25. If they wanted me to walk for 10 minutes, I would walk for 12. The only thing I wouldn’t do any longer than I had to was the stair climber because I hated that!! After 10 weeks, the physical therapist said I had done a great job and no more sessions were needed. A few months later I hiked to the top of Mt. Washington. It was a win - win. I saved money and I had a really strong knee.
For me, the greater reward of both healing and saving money came from small decisions - made consistently - over time. For 10 weeks, I made the decision to add one more rep to each routine and one more minute to each exercise. In time I added two reps and 2 minutes. As things continued to go well I did the exercise routines twice a day instead of once. It was the small things - done over time - that lead to the greater reward of healing. Just hoping that my physical therapy would go well wasn’t going to help me, I had to do something, and I had to do it day, after day, after day.
None of us just stumble into achieving our goals. We don’t wake up one day and find that we are debt free. We have to make small changes to our spending and find the places where we can save a dollar, and then we have to put that dollar towards our debt. At first it might not seem like we are getting anywhere, but over time we find ourselves debt free. We don’t find ourselves in a great marriage without investing in forgiveness, patience, and love, and you can’t do those things once and have it make a difference, you have to do it day after day, year after year. And we don’t suddenly find ourselves faithfully giving all we have and all we are to God without all the small steps of faith. Each choice we make to be more like Jesus is what leads us to an abundant and full life.
Successful and faithful people do consistently what others do occasionally. It is persistence, and patience, and faithfulness that lead to the greater rewards we want in life. Hoping for a better life and having good intentions won’t determine our destination, it is actions and habits that take us where we want to go. It is the small things done over time that lead to the big results we want.
Maybe you’ve seen those videos of what people look like after they stopped drinking soda for a year. That one, small, consistent change can lead to huge results. First of all, a can of Pepsi has 150 calories, so if you cut out 2 cans a day, that’s 300 calories a day, or 109,500 calories a year. If cutting out 3,500 calories can help you lose 1 pound, then cutting out soda for a year could lead you to losing 31 pounds. But it gets better because cutting out soda can also improve the enamel of your teeth and decrease your risk of diabetes by 25%. One small change, over time, can lead to a great reward.
Where we often hear about this kind reward is with saving money. If you were to invest $1 a day for every day of your child’s life, when they turn 18 they will have $13,000. If you don’t add any more money to that fund but keep it invested at a modest rate of return, that fund will increase to over $400,000 when they retire. Here is what we need to remember:
Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Difference
It isn’t just financial planners who say this, or dietitians, or trainers, or doctors, its God.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 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. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:7-9 (NIV)
We reap what we sow. We bring in at the harvest those things that we plant, and here are 3 laws of sowing and reaping. These are laws which mean they are always and absolutely true:
1. We reap what we sow
2. We reap more than what we sow
3. We reap after we sow
We reap WHAT we sow. If you plant corn, what will you get? If you plant tomatoes, what will you get? I know there are always these amazing stories of people who find something weird in their gardens, but no matter what they find, someone or something planted it. We reap what we sow, and what Paul says in Galatians is that if we sow evil seeds, we will get destruction. If we are bitter and unforgiving, if we are harsh in our criticism of others, and if we are always looking to judge others and put them down, what kind of relationships are we going to have? They are going to be dysfunctional and destructive. People aren’t going to want to be around us. What we often get in return for these bad attitudes is a bad attitude. We reap what we sow.
But what happens when we sow love, generosity, kindness, patience, gratitude and joy? If we sow these good things we have a great chance of having healthy, joy-filled, life-giving relationships. As Paul says, we have eternal life, but more than that we get a good life here and now. Hosea 10:12 (NLT) Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.
We reap what we sow, so if we don’t like the harvest we are getting in life right now, then maybe it’s time we started to sow some new seeds. Instead of sitting back and placing the blame on others, feeling sorry for ourselves, or just hoping things will get better (which usually means hoping that others will change), let’s change what we are sowing.
Is there an area of your life where you would like to reap a different harvest? Is there a place where you would like to experience a greater reward and more of God’s fullness and life? If there is, what is one new seed you can start planting today? If you want to get out of debt and experience that freedom, make one small change in what you buy and take what you save to pay off your debt. It might not seem like much, but over time it will make a difference.
If you want to experience God’s blessing then find one way you can be a blessing to someone this week. That simple act of love or kindness will change your heart and life. Being a blessing to others opens our heart to experience more of the blessing God has for us. If you want to have a better attitude in general, if you want to be more positive in life, then sow the single seed of gratitude and watch your life change. I have shared many times about the power of gratitude and I don’t mind saying it again because it is that important. The simple act of giving thanks can improve your physical health, your emotional well-being, and it can give you a better perspective on life.
This would be a great week to practice the simple act of gratitude. Not just on Thursday, but every day this week, find one thing in your life for which you are grateful and then write it down. And then keep this habit going. It is the small things, done consistently, over time that make the big differences. Identify one area in your life where you would like to experience a greater reward and change the seeds you are sowing.
The second law of sowing and reaping is that we reap MORE than we sow. For the past two years, Jeff Martin has overseen our church garden and he has planted butternut squash. With each plant, Jeff hoped to not get one squash but 5 or 6. You don’t look for just one tomato on a vine but many. You plant one apple seed and eventually get a tree that can produce bushels of apples. Even corn might only produce one or two ears per stalk, but that one ear can give you 800 kernels, which could give you 800 ears of corn the next year, which could then give you 640,000 ears of corn the next year. From 1 kernel could come 640,000 ears of corn in just two years. We always get more than what we sow.
Jesus told a parable about a sower who went out to sow some seed and when the seed fell in good soil it says it produced a harvest, 30, 60, and even 100 times what was sown. When we sow good seeds in good soil, we will always get more in return. When we treat people with love and kindness, those attitudes keep growing. People who have been loved will often reach out to others with that same love, and in time a school, a business, a church, and a community can be completely transformed.
But the same is also true with anger and hatred. When we sow bitterness, rage, and division, communities decline. Look where we are as a nation? We are divided. We don’t trust people who think differently or live differently than we do. When we push our own views and agenda, and demand others see things our way, what we reap is a divided world where we don’t trust, respect or care about each other. While it might seem that small acts of love and kindness might not work in the face of all the anger and division we see today, it can, but we have to be consistent and give it time. We cannot give up.
I’m going to tell you right now that whatever new seed you decide to plant in order to get a better harvest, the time will come when you won’t see any results, and you will be ready to give up. Don’t do it. Don't give up. It might literally be the next day when you will see or experience a breakthrough. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. In the face of all the obstacles, keep sowing faithfulness, patience, and perseverance and in time you will reap a harvest of blessing.
The third law of sowing is that we reap AFTER we sow. I know, this is common sense. We can’t look out at a plot of dirt and just hope that flowers will grow. We can’t just wish for lots of vegetables to harvest during the summer. And yet, isn’t this how we often look at our lives and our faith. We want to be healthier, but we don’t change how we eat or how we live. We want a better marriage and family but we don’t invest in forgiveness or love. We want a stronger faith and trust in God, but we don’t want to have to pray, or read the Bible, or engage in worship.
The harvest won’t change, and God can’t multiply the harvest, until we first sow new seeds. One of my favorite expressions is that God can’t steer a parked car. At some point in time, the only way God is able to guide us is if we start moving. As we move, God can open doors and close doors. As we move, God can lead us into paths of righteousness and blessing, but until we move, God can’t do much. And the only way God can help us experience the greater rewards of life and faith is if we start sowing new and better seeds today.
What greater reward are you longing for today? A healthier lifestyle? A stronger marriage? A better work environment? Financial security? A wider circle of friends? A deeper faith and trust in God? Whatever harvest you are looking for, start today to sow good seeds. Make small smart choices, make them daily and over time, and then trust God to bring the harvest of life and life eternal.
Next Steps
The Greater Reward - Don’t Give Up
When have you made changes to improve your life but then given up when you didn’t see any results?
What one area of life would you like to see some improvements or a greater reward?
Read Galatians 6:7-9 and Matthew 13:1-9
The 3 laws of reaping and sowing.
1. We reap WHAT we sow.
• What one new seed could you plant this week to help you experience the greater reward you named above?
2. We reap MORE than what we sow.
• When have you seen love or kindness spread through a group of people?
• When you have seen anger or bitterness spread through a group of people.
3. We reap AFTER we sow.
• What change do you need to make today so that a healthier life, stronger relationships, or a deeper faith can be experienced tomorrow?
One seed that can always improve our life is gratitude. Each day this week, identify one thing you are thankful for and write it down. Continue this small practice through the month of December and allow God to transform your life and faith by Christmas Day.
