Flourishing in the Ordinary – Grin Reapers

Flourishing in the Ordinary – Grin Reapers

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap… And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal. 6:7,9

 

I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I did it anyway.

The apple seed in my wee hand looked like such a perfect fit with the electrical outlet that my 4-year-old level of self control was not up to the challenge.  To my initial delight and then quickly ensuing horror, it was a perfect fit.  An irreversibly perfect fit.  For months I would walk past that outlet with a sideways glance, waiting in agony for the telltale sapling to broadcast my guilt.

Since that time, I’ve come to learn a few things.  First, and thankfully, electrical outlets do not provide ideal conditions for germination.  Secondly, if it did, it wouldn’t have been a pear tree that revealed my sin.  Why?  Because as most of us have figured out from years of observation on this planet, the creation mandate that all living things produce according to their kind, is without exception.

And true to God’s wise character, this isn’t merely a physical creation law, it is a life law that He has wired into our human experience.  It was this life principle, read through tired mom eyes, that provided me with another sustaining and formative image for my early parenting years.

 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap… And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal. 6:7,9

We typically employ this principle with wagging fingers and foreboding expressions.  “Watch it!  You reap what you sow!”  But as a mom who was determined to sow good seed, I was encouraged by the hopeful promise that is equally true (Read with a cheery voice) – We reap what we sow!  Yay!

My parenting was bolstered and shaped by two aspects of this promise:

God is no dummy.  God can’t be made a fool of by humanity and he doesn’t miss a thing.  That means we can’t sow harshness, caprice and sin into our parenting and ultimately reap sweetness and influence.  Likewise, and comfortingly so, we can’t sow grace, wisdom and kindness into our parenting and ultimately reap conflict and chaos.

Because God sees every little thing I sow into the hearts of my children, I was challenged to sow each look, deed and word with wisdom and care because He promises to orchestrate a fitting harvest.  Though this doesn’t give me a promised, specific outcome in the spiritual lives of my children, I can have complete confidence that in some manner and in some time, there will be good produced that is comparable to the good I have planted.  That is great news.

A sure promise means I can wait.  Verse 9 gives a cheering encouragement that even though the harvest may be way off, it will surely come.  Your gentle word may be met by a blank or belligerent stare now, but a good seed was planted.  That act of sacrifice may seem to be unnoticed now, but that good seed will germinate.  The timely grace meted out instead of defensible justice may not turn the drifting teenage ship yet, but some kind of good fruit is coming.

Proverbs 31:28 alludes to the fact that much of what we do in the early years may not be acted upon or appreciated until our children are much older, but we can find great consolation in knowing that nothing good we sow into our children is wasted.  God says so.  God sees.  So we can plant with resolve and wait with hope.

Though my daughters have more growing to do yet, the harvest is beginning in our household and can I tell you younger friend?  Is it ever worth the work and the wait!

So let’s carry on and remember with a grin:

Every look, every deed, every word is a seed.

Plant with wisdom, plant with care for in that harvest we will share!

7 Comments

  1. Tracy Call

    Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Janet

      My pleasure! I’m so thankful to have opportunity to share what has been such an encouragement to me!

      Reply
  2. Glen

    This series needs to be put into a “How To” parenting book! I always thought that my wife was/is a great mother and I suppose I noticed the intentionality that she parented with. Honestly though, it wasn’t until I started reading these posts that I realized just how intentional she really was and how much she relied on God’s promises to get her through the formational years of parenting. Proverbs 31:28

    Reply
    • Janet

      Thank you darling hubby!

      Reply
  3. Sheena Jorgensen

    Thanking God for you Janet! This is a good word for me today.

    Reply
    • Janet

      I’m so glad to hear that those words were helpful! That promise has enabled me to keep on sowing in seasons when it was the last thing I felt like doing! God bless your continued efforts.

      Reply
  4. Heather Bock

    I’ve unfortunately seen the lack of grace I’ve given my kids in times of anger spill out on each other. God has worked a lot in me and I’m able to give a lot more grace now than I used to be able to, and my hope is that my new way of parenting will start to sprout in their hearts to each other. Thank you for the encouragement.

    Reply

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