Sow Bountifully!

I try to remind myself to do that.

"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6

I wonder what the Corinthians really thought when they were told that? When I think of Corinth, I think of the Gladiator. I can't help it. I'm not sure if the two are related, but that's what automatically comes to mind. Thinking about the Gladiator times, life seemed to be about indulging in things. Things aren't so different now, if you think about it. What can you get, that is better than what you have, and how can you make yourself look better while feeling good? It's a vicious sort of thing.

In my own life, I struggle a lot with a different perspective from my spouse very often when it comes to "things". He likes things, he likes to look at things, he likes to have things, he likes to be able to have things. For me, though, it's just not that important. I'm not better than him by not wanting things, by any means. It's just a different perspective, and I have to learn to be understanding. For men, also, things and providing things for their family is part of who they are and how they relate to life. Their job as providers is to provide after all. If they aren't able to do that, try to imagine how that affects their sense of responsibility. With gentleness I have to accept that his desire so often for things isn't a "self centered" thing, but a need to prove himself. We do ok. God blessed me with creativity which in comes in handy quite often.

More than a few times lately I've been presented with this quote about sowing bountifully. Naturally I think, "how the heck am I supposed to do that when there is so little already?" The thing is, when we let go of what we do have (which so often might be so little) God has a chance to work in amazing ways. Now I'm not saying that the letting go will be easy, in fact it might be physically painful, and you might find yourself feeling frantic for a moment. However, it's all about trust. Do you trust? I find myself saying "yes", with tears of fear and worry and ulcers building in my stomach. Try to trust and then let go! Remind yourself to take a deep breath, it will help!

Remember, it doesn't just say "sow bountifully!"

It's also says, PROMISES, you "will also REAP BOUNTIFULLY"!