My husband enjoys keeping a vegetable garden. Twice a year he will till up the dirt and then carefully place various seeds and plants in that dirt. Before too long, we will begin to see vegetables begin to grow. Some of the things my husband plants include cucumbers, squash, potatoes, turnip greens, collard greens, green beans, peas, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, and so on.

We also have several fruit trees, citrus trees, and grapes. All of this is thanks to my husband’s hard work. He has the green thumb in our family!

As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. The Bible even references this in numerous verses across the Old and New Testaments. One example is in Galatians 6. I am using the New Living Translation here, so it’s worded a little differently. Verse 7 says, “You will always harvest what you plant.”

This is something important to remember in general, not just as it pertains to gardening:

• If we sow seeds of negativity, we will reap negativity. On the flip side, if we plant positivity, we will harvest positivity.
• If we sow seeds of judgement, we will reap judgment. However if we plant empathy, we will harvest empathy.
• If we sow seeds of hate, discord, and anger, then we will reap hate, discord, and anger. On the other hand, if we plant love, harmony, and peace, then we will harvest love, harmony, and peace.
• Those who spend money foolishly, will suffer the consequences. But if they are good stewards of their money, they will reap the reward.
• If someone continually eats poorly and doesn’t exercise, in time they could see negativity effects in their health. But if someone makes a habit of eating nutritious foods and staying active, then their body will be better off in the long run.
• If someone plays video games all day, every day, they cannot expect to have a productive life. But if they set goals and work diligently, then they will benefit in the years to come.

Keeping this truth tucked in our hearts will help us make better decisions. It will prompt us to be more responsible. And it will nudge us to spread the love of Jesus wherever we go.

But let’s look at this from a different angle. You wouldn’t plant cucumber seeds and expect to produce apples. And you wouldn’t scream at someone and expect them to answer you calmly. It seems pretty straightforward and logical, right?

Well, actually, there might be times when you reap something that you didn’t know you sowed. A few years ago when my husband’s squash seeds began to harvest, a tall sunflower had grown in the midst of the squash. The only logical explanation is that a sunflower seed had accidentally gotten mixed in with the squash seeds.

Could we accidentally be sowing the wrong seeds in life as well? Maybe we snap at someone and we don’t realize that our words came out harshly. Or perhaps we feed our souls garbage, but we don’t realize it’s wrong because that is what the rest of the world is doing.

It helps to be intentional about what we sow. And it starts by surrounding ourselves with the right nutrients. My husband often gets the dirt tested to see if it is lacking any nutrients. Then he will purchase appropriate fertilizer to nourish the ground.

Likewise we can feed ourselves the best nutrients. For example, fellowshipping with other Christians will help us grow good fruit. Earlier I mentioned Galatians 6. If we backup to the beginning of that chapter, in verses 1-3, Paul says, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”

We should all have some “safe” friends who can gently nudge us when they see that we made a mistake. And in turn, we should be able to do the same for them.

But most importantly, we should also make sure Jesus is our main source of water and nutrition. When we feed ourselves wholesome things, we will have better discernment between right and wrong. Jesus said in John 15:5-8, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

In other words, it is essential for our own well-being and growth that we stay grounded in the Lord. When we do, we will sow and reap the best in life!