Zig Ziglar, noted American author and motivational speaker, once asserted, “Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.” The bottom line, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time, we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:7-10 ESV). Therefore, aim to “strike a good pose” in all that you do!
For the longest, I used to hear my mother and my maternal grandmother say, “You’re gonna reap what you sow!” I had no earthly idea what either of them was talking about. As you live, you learn. When I was finally coming to grips with what they meant, I thought it was about what you do that’s bad only. However, I had to learn a little more to realize that it meant “good” or “bad.” There is no in between.
I wonder if most people really understand this verse. The reason I say that is usually when I hear conversations among others about this verse, their reference is about what someone has done in a bad way. Remember that it goes both ways.
I like what Ziglar says in the first sentence of his quote — “Life is an echo.” If you treat others the way in which you want to be treated, God is going to bless you for that in ways you will never dream. However, if you treat others in an evil manner, the Word promises, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord,’” (Romans 12:19 KJV).
When the opportunity arises to do something good for someone, just do it! God will smile upon this because Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) declares, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” To do good to someone else does not require a lot of effort; it just takes a willing heart, mind and soul. On the other hand, to do bad to someone involves extra, unnecessary effort that will earn you nothing except heartaches and punishment from the Lord.
Last week, my mother-in-law, Jessierine Davis Bright, went home to be with the Lord. This loving, sweet Christian soul would give you the shirt off her back and expected nothing in return. Whenever I would give her a gift, she would say, “You didn’t have to do that.” However, I would tell her that it was what I wanted to do for her. She would say in return, “That’s so sweet,” and she would give me a hug and a kiss.
Just as she would do for others, when I would get ready to leave her after a visit, she would make sure that I not leave empty-handed, if it were with only a few pieces of mint candy. I never heard Mama Jessierine say nor do anything mean to anyone. It was just not her nature. Her sense of humor was authentic.
To put it in a nutshell, she was good to her fellow man. It is without a shadow of a doubt that I feel Mama Jessierine Davis Bright received her great reward from the Lord on Thursday morning May 7, 2020. She folded her earthly cart and went home to be with the Lord, peacefully, as she lived.
(Anna Bright is a minister and educator in Walterboro. She can be reached at abrightcolumn@lowcountry.com)
