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“As you sow, so shall you reap” is an immutable law of God and universally true. We use it to express condemnation against unpleasant consequences of thoughtless deed. We also use it to express appreciation for something good resulting from a kind deed. But often, we don’t seem to be guided by the wisdom and the truth of this life’s principle!
In Galatians 6:7, before this principle – as you sow, so shall you reap – is stated, there are two important statements preceding it. First, “do not be deceived.” Why? Because we tend to think we can choose the consequences or at least ignore them. Second, “God is not mocked.” Why? Because we think we can claim exception and exemption from this law. Thus, believing that God’s law is not binding or authoritative; hence, making it a mockery. It is true that God’s grace covers a multitude of sins and forgives us so freely. Yet, God’s law still remains that what you sow, be it good or evil, naturally yield the corresponding harvest in its due time!
Nagas are reaping an unpleasant harvest presently because of what had been sown in yesteryears. In the process of our nation building, so many dirty things have been sown, I believe including my people, yet still refusing to own or accept the consequences. We tend to think that time can heal all wounds. It’s true that time is a great healer, but it does not fully heal everything. Rather, as someone says, “It’s what you do with the time that does healing.” Many of our pains and wounds are not transformed and left to the mercy of time; hence, they are being transferred on and on. The barriers amongst us are real. We live close by each other physically, yet very far apart relationally.
We successfully fooled ourselves that deception can be permanently buried under the ground, hatred is a normal thing in any struggle, barrel of gun can usher in unity, and that bloodshed can bring a Utopia. But true to this inexorable law of God and life, deception has blossomed distrust, mistrust and trust deficit. Hatred has begotten violence. Instead of forging unity, the barrel of gun has fragmented our society to almost beyond redemption. And nothing has drained off our ‘life’ more than murderous bloodshed that we have become almost a “lifeless” nation today.
Despite this sad reality, we still bemoan our situation as if an unrelated strange thing has happened. But considering the immutable law of God, this is exactly how it should happen, and we are harvesting what we rightly deserved! The cycle will continue unless we choose to change the seed. If we want a healthier harvest tomorrow then we have to own the responsibilities for the past mistakes and sow healthier seeds today. Instead of deception, sow truth. Instead of hatred, sow forgiveness. Instead of the barrel of gun, sow kindness. Instead of bloodshed, sow life. Only then, after sometimes, and hopefully sooner, we can reap our dreamland!
Presently, we feel we are under the weight of a huge load. Nothing seems to be going right in our society. All our attempts to better our society end up in frustration. So we unconsciously resign to the thinking that it will take eternity for us to come back to sanity and prosperity. However, on the principle of sowing and reaping, Charles Stanley, founder and president of “In Touch Ministries,” intriguingly divulges that “we reap MORE than we sow.” Rightly so, the Bible says that a seed sown can successfully yield a hundredfold, sixty or thirty (Matt. 13:23). This gives me a lot of hope again because a small seed, which you and I can sow today, can yield bountifully too. We look for mass movement to bring about a change, but overlook the power of a small deed next-door. We need to regain our confidence in God that He is able to multiply our small kind deeds. The challenge now is can we choose to sow the right seed!
V. ATSI DOLIE
Mission Compound, Kohima