The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-05-08
Sowing and Reaping

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cultivation of a garden, we reap
what we sow, that like produces
like. For instance, we know that II
we plant vegetable seeds, we cannot
pick flowers after the seeds have
terminated and the plants inatured.
II we want flowers, we must plant
flower seeds. In our mental garden
ing we do not always see this fact
so readily. Have not many people
who bewail the lack Of good In their
lives, failed to sow the seed from
which good could grow?
A much-loved teacher used to give
the school children memory gems"
to learn. One of the stanzas reads:
"The garden of life 1t beareth well,
II will repay our care;
But the blossoms must always
and ever be
Like the seed we're planting
there"
=. II we sow thoughts Of fear,
Encouragement, resentment, ingrati-
tude, and selfiShness, can we expect
a harvest of good from such sowing?
Jesus said Matthew 1870, "Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs Of
thistles?" No more can we gather a
harvest Of abundance, health, love,
success, or Joy from wrong mental
sowing, or expect bOuntiful crop
when we have sown sparingly.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer
and Founder Of Christian Science, in
Miscellaneous Writings" Up. 1871
makes 1t plain that when thought is
abiding In Truth, the warmth and
sunlight Of prayer and praise and
understanding will ripen the fruits
of Spirit, and goodness will have its
springtide Of freedom and great
ness" Holding thought to the truth
that man is the reflection OF God, in
finite Love, heals and delivers us
from belief in evil or error. When
we reflect Love by sowing the seeds
Of kindness, faith, patience, purity,
and Joy, we gather rich harvest OF
good in sickness healed, discord van
pushed, and sin and death overcome.
Does one need health, supply, har-
mony, and protection? Does the har-
vest Of good seem scanty to eyes
blinded by materiality? In reality
the harvest Of good is always album
dant. Jesus said John 4:35), lift
up your eyes, and look on the fields;
for they are white already to har-
vest" Let us stop looking at error as
real, and lift our thought to God,
good. Fear blinds our eyes to the
good by which we are surrounded.
God is omnipotent and omnipresent.
In the inf1nitude of good, where is
there any room for evil? When we
realize the fact of Gods allness we
are no longer afraid, for we know
there is nothing to fear. Fear is an
illusion. We must realize that man,
Gods reflection, expresses His per-
lection, even as the sun is expressed
in the sunshine. And as there Is no
darkness in the sunshine, SO there is
no evil in the man of Gods creating,
who ever reflects Him In health,
abundance, all good.
One verse of a beautiful hymn de-
clares christian Science Hymnal,
No. 81:
"A grateful heart garden is,
Where there is always room
For every lovely, Godlike grace
To come to perfect bloom"
Gratitude makes us receptive to the
abundance of good which God con-
stantly gives to His children. We
seem to lack good only because we
are not ready to receive all He gives.
When we are receptive to Truth, we
shall realize that God never with
holds good.
Sometimes when we think we have
sown good seed, but see no evidence
Of having accomplished good, we
may well remember Paul's words q
Corinthians $500, Il have planted, -.
but God gave the increase" Our
work Is to sow the seed, leaving the
results to Gods care. Even though
we may never see the results of some
Of our own spiritual sowing, we may
be sure that somewhere good has re-
suited. And God is constantly
preparing the soil. Our own respon-
sibility is to reflect God In every
thought, word, and deed. 80.
Let us not be too concerned over
the reaping. Our sowing prepares
for that. Sometimes our human
plans would limit us. Jesus declared
Matthew 1880, 'The reapers are
the angels. ~. Knowing that angels
do the reaping and that God, good, In
infinite, can we not leave the results
Of our sowing of good seed, and the
thought of how soon or how great
the harvest shall be, in our heavenly
Fathers hands? THE OksSstsds 6ct-
snoe Monitor.
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