What Are You Sowing?
“Sow a thought and you reap an action;
Sow an act and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit and you reap a character;
Sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Moment of Thought
Have you ever had a moment where you stopped and thought to yourself, “How did I get here?” It could be either a moment where you found yourself in a good and exciting situation or a bad situation where rock bottom drew you closer. It is a moment, nonetheless, where you needed to stop and trace back the steps upon the path which brought you there.
In the process of walking back in time through the ups and downs, the successes, the failures, and every moment that played a part in delivering you to this place in time you will find that at the crux of our every issue, both good and bad, is a thought. It is the collection of thoughts that culminate into our action of response to what life has presented to us.
In these moments, we do not decide our situations and circumstances, but rather how we respond to these culprits in question. We make a decision to choose the person we will become, and in these decisions of thought, we act and become the one that changes our future situations and circumstances. Little by little, we choose the character of the story of our lives.
Thought Life
Our thought life is crucial to who we become. We will always go where our thought life leads us. In greedy thoughts we purchase greedy actions, in fearful thoughts, we surrender our courage, and in unruly thoughts, our emotions lead our attitude.
In grateful thoughts, we will see our blessings, in thoughts of bravery we command our boldness, and in disciplined thoughts, we direct our attitude.
In Philippians 4:8, the Bible says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (NIV).
Indivisible and Changeable
God knows that we become what we think. It is impossible to divide our thoughts from our actions, and as a result, it is impossible to separate how we think from what we become.
Our thought life can get out of control and cause us to spiral into life’s undesirable destinations, and in this, we are the cause of our own despair. Just as our thoughts have the power to tear us down, they have the same power to build us up. In life, there are times when we are not the ones to blame, but we are still responsible for the thoughts we think. We are not always the cause in the effects of our lives, but we are always the decider of how we affect the future.
A Seed Is Sown
James Allen said it best, “A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.” Remember that the thoughts you sow today, no matter how small, determine the person you will become tomorrow. What are you sowing?
WITH Article Reference: Small Decisions, Big Consequences
Resources: As A Man Thinketh – James Allen
