We reap what we sow

2 Cor 9:6-10
Brothers and sisters: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.

As it is written: He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Jn 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

“We reap what we sow.” It’s a saying we hear (usually from our parents) the first time we make a bad decision that comes back to bite us in the rear. Of course there’s a lot more to it than that. It can also apply to good decisions and actions as well.

If we didn’t plant seeds and take care of them, we could not harvest anything. Whatever we want, we have to put time and energy into. Planting one seed will surely give a smaller harvest than planting one hundred seeds. A neglected plant will not be as bountiful as one watered and cared for. But the corollary is also good – what we reap, we should sow. God gives us everything, but many complain about giving back. The good things we are given we should give back in charity, in energy, and in good works. And we should give back cheerfully. Whatever we give our time and energy to will be our blessing in return.

But this entails sacrifice as well. We have to spend time and energy to get a return. We have to share our bounty from God and from our work. To get something back, something must be given up. We cannot have our cake, and eat it too. Keeping a seed does no good. It must be planted to sprout, but then it’s not a seed anymore, it’s something else entirely. It’s a whole new plant, and the cycle of life continues. We cannot keep and preserve what we are given – we have to give it back, but then it’s changed into something else entirely. Whatever we try to keep will erode or rot after time, but what we give back can be changed and can change the world.