There are laws in this universe that never fail. They work every time you put them in motion. Jump from a tall building today and gravity goes to work before you know it. You don’t have to will it, chant a mantra, spout positive confessions and affirmations; that dude will kick in straight away and down you go.
That’s why it is called a law.
Laws work regardless of your position in the whole debate.
There are natural laws, and there are spiritual laws. They work the same way. Put them in motion and boom! They work every time. It is not mysterious or magical – it is a science.
One of the most powerful and pervasive is a little law God revealed way back in the days of Noah:
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest…shall not cease. Genesis 8:22
Ok. That may refer to the natural side of the law. But the story does not end there. The Apostle Paul picks up the same strain in the spiritual…
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6
He is speaking of money.
Money.
Just in case you are nervous of the word.
Money. Money. Money.
It is something we get nervous about, pretend we don’t want, or pursue like it is the panacea for all woes.
It’s a minefield area of thoughts and attitudes that ties us knots.
I am ashamed to say I fall prey to it allurements way too often, and despite willing myself otherwise, so easily tip into envy or jealousy when I hear of the success or breakthrough someone else has just received.
The number of times I have fallen for promises made on sales pages of monthly paychecks bigger than my annual income is nothing short of embarrassing.
So, confession over. I want more money.
Thing is, the way to get more is counterintuitive.
The Bible teaches that so often even when we get what we think we want, it does not satisfy.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase… Ecclesiastes 5:10
That’s the nature of consumption. It never really satisfies the deeper longings we have on the inside. It may fill a gap for a while, but there always comes that moment when we think, “Surely there must be something more than this?”
And there is.
It is found in the real source of abundance in your life.
Giving.
‘Giving’ of your self and your substance to others opens a door that ‘getting’ has no key for. The door the giving key fits is called satisfaction – and behind that door is all you never dreamed of.
Never dreamed of? Absolutely, because once you are inside you soon realise that much of what you thought you were seeking in life is not as important as it seemed.
Stepping into your destiny as a creative giver shifts your perspective in radical way.
The house. The car. The bestseller and the acclamation. The paycheck and the pat on the back. They all fade in the light of living life with a generous spirit.
You realise that sowing is far more important than reaping. Don’t misunderstand. You need both. They feed each other, but the cycle always begins with the seed.
You have so much more to give. So much to share with the world. It may be words, images, ecouragement, teaching or training. Maybe it is helping someone organise their life, tidy their world (Marie Kondo has revolutionised more than a few lives with her tidying obsession) – the ways in which our unique gift set can be put to work on behalf of others is as varied as the people we are.
Coming to the abundance equation from this perspective also clarifies and simplifies things in an incredible way. Instead of looking out at the sparkling variety of things we want, and the endless array of items or experiences we are led to believe will complete our lives – we now look inside at the few things that truly make us who we are.
I am a writer. I do other things, and it is not really my identity. If I choose not to write today it does not dimish who I am. I do not cease to be because I fail or fear to give my gift to the world.
But the world is far poorer if I do not.
As we ask ourselves how we can give from our abundance to help another, the law goes to miraculaus work on our behalf.
Like the seed sown in the dirty earth, when we throw our heart out to humanity it soon takes root and before we know it, shoots and branches are springing forth.
It takes time. This law is agricultural not industrial. For the rich life-giving nutrients of your spirit to nourish another takes time. It takes patience. It takes faith and tenderness to continue in the face of discouragement or setback.
But keep sowing.
Keep watering.
Keep giving.
Soon the budding fruits will herald the return on your investment.
Only this time that one seed will produce a cluster of fruits. Each one carrying your unique heavenly brand and flavour. And they too will contnue to floursh and fruit until you do not have room enough for the harvest of thanks that comes back to you.
The harvest can take any number of guises. Changed lives. Money in the bank. Opportunities and open doors.
But the greatest reward of all is knowing that you are living authentically, honestly, and fully from who Papa has made you on the inside.
Plunder your heart for treasure to share.
What words or images reside on the inside that will enrich another’s life? What ideas are you incubating that will birth fresh hope in someone else?
The life of abundance is not in the getting but in the giving. It’s a law. A never failing, magnificent life-enriching head-turning mind-blowing law that will work for you as soon as you put it to work.
And it all begins with a seed.
