One local grandfather in our area used to say, "Every time it rains I grow rocks in my field." Well, my friend Mark knows all about that. Over a period of time, his mother made him clear hundreds of rocks out of one of their fields when he was just a little boy. Recently, Mark bought some land from his mother. And, as he has started to work one of the fields, he was really pleasantly surprised by how amazingly rock-free it is. Then it dawned on him. This was the field he had made rock-free when he was a boy!
Mark is reaping the good work he did many years ago - now he's enjoying the benefits of those efforts. It's a reminder of one of the wisest laws in the Bible - "Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). We usually think about that in terms of the bad consequences of the bad seed we sow, but there's another side to that reaping equation. You don't just reap the bad you sow - you reap the good you sow. Paul goes on to make a very practical application - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Why do we sometimes give up on some of the good we're trying to do? Because of the nature of harvesting. There's a time lag between sowing and reaping - and it can look like nothing's going to come of it. So we quit sowing - in the lives of our children, our church, our co-workers, our friends.
Scripture is actually full of encouragement to keep sowing good seed. "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again" (Ecclesiastes 11:1). "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more" (Mark 4:24). "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25). Don't be afraid of what you'll lose by giving - God has promised that you'll gain so much more. You don't become richer by keeping what you've got - you become richer by giving it away.
Keep scattering good seed wherever you go. There's an awesome harvest coming.