Reaping What I Sow

I don't think it's been any coincidence over the past few days that I've been confronted with the passage of reaping what I sow.  And it's just been since Sunday morning that this passage has been so highlighted   okay, that's putting it mildly.  Let me rephrase --- it's just been since Sunday morning that God has made sure that I have seen & heard this passage several times.  

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 
for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Galatians 6:7

On Sunday morning, our pastor finished up a series called "My Story" ... 

the decisions I make today determine the story I tell tomorrow.  

So, what I sow today ... I will reap tomorrow. 

Let me digress a little --

My second post of my breaking out of my milestone was all about my reflection (CLICK HERE to read)  I gave an excerpt from Linda Dillow's What's it Like to be Married to Me? in which she creates a scene of going to my own funeral.  And she posed this question --
 if my husband were to give my eulogy, what would I want him to say? 
It's after we answer that question,  she says, that we can start living with the end in mind and actually be that person we want others to see us as.  

(Now back to current post...)

So I began thinking of Linda's challenge (broadening the scope to include my husband along with everyone else I've known in my life) ... meshing it with Paul's message of reaping what I sow ... and bringing in our pastor's message of what my story is to tell. Now some people would say I'm stretching Biblical teachings to match with what I personally want to hear and believe -- to satisfy my own agenda so to speak. 

Well, in reality though, this may actually be one of my biggest challenges of all time.  
Here's what I've concluded ...

• If I want to leave a favorable legacy to my future generations, what am I sowing now that I will reap when I am no longer walking this earth?  Am I kind, generous, fair, just ... or am I negative, self-centered, unreasonable, judgmental?  
• Do I encourage others in whatever situations they are going through ... or do I set unattainable & unspoken expectations of my own desires?
• Am I setting a positive example for future generations to follow ... or will they simply say "I sure don't want to be like her"?
• Will my friends be able to say of me that I was compassionate, caring & a good friend ... or will they say that it just didn't seem like I cared about them at all?

As you can see, this is a daily self-evaluation.  If I want my story to be that I was a woman following God's heart desire for my life, then I had better be praying & seeking His guidance for my life on a moment by moment basis. 

No, I don't have to do things perfectly 
(thank God for His new mercies every day)

No, I don't have to "give in" to things I disagree with 
(thank God that He gave me a brain to reason things out for myself)

No, I don't have to compromise who I am 
(thank God I am a child of The King)

But, the simple truth is this ...

I get to choose what I sow
and therefore, 

I choose what I reap.

This is one of the reasons that relationships are so important to our family, and why we spent many years traveling so much to cultivate & strengthen our relationships with our family. We know that if we desire a relationship tomorrow ... then we need to nurture it today.  Put another way -- I can't expect to have a relationship with my family (or friends) in the future if I'm not willing to put time & effort into them now. 

And, I will add ...
it's never too late to begin or even start over.

... I can see the light of a brand new day ...

Thank God for every breath He allows us to take.
Thank God for second chances at writing our own personal stories.
Thank God for new beginnings.