Sowing Love, Reaping Love

            Anyone who has ever parented more than one child has to understand the idea of feeling like a continual referee between the children.  My super fabulous awesome girls are no different.  Before having my second daughter I thought that the sibling issues wouldn’t start until they reached a certain age, but that wasn’t the case.  I think they started in our home the moment we brought our second child home from the hospital.  Honestly I can’t say it’s all one or the other.  The two of them bounce off of each other.

            Perhaps the two of them have gotten worse over the last few months, or perhaps it’s just the fact that its summer vacation and I need to encourage them to take these two months to learn a foreign language, train for a marathon, or swim the English Channel.  However, recently the two of them have been at each other.  Dan and I keep encouraging them to be nice to each other.  That does work, some of the time. 

            Yesterday as my youngest was crying because my oldest was being mean to her, I was trying to have a heart to heart moment.  Someone needs to start breaking the cycle that sends them yelling.

            “If you planted an apple tree what fruit would grow on the tree?”  I asked her.

            “Apple,” She responded.       

            “If I planted tomato seeds, what would I get?”

            “Tomatoes”

            “If I planted love then I should get what back?”

            “Love…but she…”  So the saga continued.  I tried to explain to her the principal of reaping and sowing.  I think she heard me.  I was trying to get her to understand that perhaps if she showed some love to her sister even if she didn’t want to be nice to her then perhaps she’d reap love in return. 

            It’s ironic how this principal works in a lot of situations in life.

            

Galatians 6:7 (ESV)Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

               

            I wanted to use this simplistic story to encourage all of you, my dear readers, today. To look for ways to sow love and kindness even if you think the other person doesn’t deserve it.  You might be surprised how much the same undeserved love and kindness will come back to you.  The concept of ‘paying something forward’ is really a Biblical approach.  What you sow, you will in turn reap. For example, I can testify to blessing someone with a car we no longer did need.  Years later when we needed a vehicle someone blessed us with one.    If you want someone to stop being mean to you, start being nice to them.  If you want someone to be there for you when you need a shoulder to cry on, be there for someone who needs you.  The cycle does perpetuate.  What you sow…you will reap.

            Remember God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited!