Every tree, every growing thing as it grows,
says this truth, you harvest what you sow.
Rumi ♥
This quote from Rumi has recently caught my attention.
The phrase, ‘harvest what you sow’ reminds me of other statements like, ‘sleep in the bed you make!’.
Sometimes these sayings can leave one with an uncomfortable, almost ominous feeling. Decisions we make, directions we choose are not presented with guarantees. Often it takes time before we know whether the right choice was made and understand what the consequences really might be. As the calendar turns to January 1st, many people reflect on the topic of “choice”. A new year welcomes the opportunity for new directions to be taken and supported with great commitment.
Commitments of this nature are often made knowing that there is a way “out” if needed. Maybe it brings too much pressure on someone, maybe the decision ends up alienating people from one another–either one of these reasons and many others can be good enough for the whole idea to be reconsidered.
I sit with this quote from Rumi wondering how actions and decisions alone make fodder for the harvest we must sow. We resolve to lose weight, save money, give money, go to church every week or spend less time with our electronic distractions but how do we know that the harvest is found within the results of these decisions?
“Harvest what you sow…” – Rumi was speaking of all creation. Every tree – all that lives – reaps what it sows. So maybe the results are most affected by how we pay attention, how we direct our focus. There is no qualifier to this statement, only that it is a ‘truth’. We do reap the harvest of the seeds we sow. If they are sown and ignored – we stand to answer for the outcome.
Yes, this may seem ominous but it does not have to be negative or threat! One’s breath can be taken as the gift of grace revealed in the harvest. There is no qualifier in this statement – we harvest what we sow. May our attention and focus prayerfully tend to the life we have been given to nurture.
Carrie's Bench 