Question:
Have you ever been a relationship where it seems only one side does all the giving…yours?
Maybe it is in a marriage? You keep making adjustments to accommodate the needs and wants of your spouse; however, you see very little, if any reciprocation?
Maybe it is as a parent. You keep making sacrifices for your children; yet, no matter what you do; it is neither enough – nor is it appreciated.
You have been best friends for a long, long time. You always drive! You’re always doing random acts of kindness; yet you never get anything in return.
Response:
How do you handle these kinds of relationships? This is what dropped into my spirit on today. “Whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” For those in the household of faith; that is a very familiar refrain. The Message version of the bible renders Galatians 6:7-8 this way:
“Don’t be misled: no one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plans selfishness, ignoring the needs of others – ignoring God – harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.”
Reading this passage reminds me that, often times, we focus on the wrong person in the giving situation. It’s not how others respond (or whether they respond at all); but rather, our motivation. Is what we do in response to God’s prompting? Is our motive pure? If the answer is “yes”; then God is doing a work in us; and our harvest (which will always be greater than what we have sown) will be our reward – in this life – and the one to come!
Your harvest may not come from the one into who you have sown; but it will come! For good measure, read Luke 6:38 (Message Translation):
“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
