Sowing Away the Hidden Seed

What do we gain when we give away love through our money and other material possessions despite having nothing? Sacrificing what we have is not easy, especially when what we see is enough for ourselves.

Let’s admit, it’s not easy to give, even for a cause. My mom has seen this in some of her comrades at their senior citizen’s group. She suggested that instead of spending for their Christmas party this year, she urged her fellow officers to give money to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (or Typhoon Yolanda as its Philippine name). However, most of them were hesitant. The reason: they’re not sure if it will go to the victims. But soon enough, they were convinced, as the organization she suggested is legitimate and has been doing outreach missions for years. She was just saddened to find out that most of them handed down less than half of what each spend for their Christmas parties.

I’m not against Christmas parties. I enjoy them. It’s just our security on our money that binds us from sharing with others.

I must admit, I’m still struggling in this area at this point of writing. We have heard countless times that what we sow is what we’ll reap. But due to our culture of gaining and fighting for our rights, we have disregarded the principle of sowing and reaping many times.

Most of us have been pampered with material possessions. As a yuppie, I’ve grown to the idealism of treating myself, causing me to buy things and food I don’t need. I’m one of this generation’s impulsive buyers, which regrettably had me at debt at most times. Lofty food is one of my weaknesses. I am one of those willing to spend big bucks for expensive meals. However, when someone is in need, I would think it over before giving anything — and when I give, I give too little.

I realized today that I have lost much because I’m not a cheerful giver. Actually, I am a good saver, but due to bank closures and joblessness two years ago, I lost my savings. I have been selfish in my own principles of handling money, not realizing that everything we handle is temporary. I never give much, not even love and mercy, for I was a skeptic at humankind. I viewed that everyone is not a good steward of whatever I lend or give. But I’ve judged too much. I was the one who’s not a good steward.

Right now, I am in the learning process of being a good steward of money. The more painful part here is learning to give money to the needy. In every fruit of our labor is a seed we need to sow. Of course, we cannot eat the whole fruit, right? So, we have to sow the seed into good ground to produce a hundredfold. It’s the same with money. We can’t keep it all. So, we have to give part of it to the “good ground”, let’s say an organization or to the needy. We might be surprised how much will be given back to us.

A friend of mine had taught me this before I went to Ireland. Having no money to go there, I was holding on to what I have. But my friend, a prophetic fellow, sensed that the Lord was teaching me to give despite of having nothing. It’s a hard process to learn. But there is blessing in obedience. I was surprised that a few friends supported for my pocket money right after, even though I did not ask them. Right now, though, I’m still settling my plane ticket! But I know God is faithful and that He provides all my needs. 🙂

It’s a Biblical principle. Believer or no believer, I’ve seen how this principle is fulfilled when done. I’ve heard testimonies on how blessed are the people who sacrificed much. It’s no wonder that some rich people become richer, for they have secretly given part of their income to foundations.

It’s not money that matters at this point. It’s how we view it. Everything we receive is meant to be shared, even the kindness and love we receive. We might not see the results when we give part of ourselves away, but in time we will realize what kind of harvest will be grown when we sacrifice what we have — even a part of it. Just as the seed that grew into a hundredfold when planted into good ground, it would be the same when we give love through acts or money. Sacrifice of love will reap an abundance of love. Sacrifice of our money will reap an abundance of income. May we live the lifestyle of sowing into good ground and thus reap back a hundredfold in our lives.

Reaping the Seed Sown in Sacrifice (Song reflection on “Alla Vill Till Himmelen Men Ingen Vill Dö”)

For a few weeks, I’m re-enjoying Swedish music. One is that I’ve enjoyed its language (although I’ve forgotten most of it already). Another is that I’ve discovered new songs from my fave Iranian-born Swedish artist, Laleh.

She’s not your usual pop-rock artist as she echoes depthness and reality. Unlike most modern artist who sings about relationships or materialism, some of her songs are facets of some of life’s realities, without making them mundane or morbid to the listener. Example are her songs “Invicible” and “Some Die Young”.

Her version of “Alla Vill Till Himmelen Men Ingen Vill Dö” is a breakout from its original dance upbeat version by the Swedish rapper Timbuktu. Although not her original, I love how she strummed it with her usual rock-acoustic rhytym. Of course, I wouldn’t listen to it without knowing what it means. And for once again, I’m fascinated with the reality of its verses.

Here’s the main refrain of this song:

Alla vill till himmelen men få vill ju dö
Man vill kamma in vinningen, men sår inga frön
Alla vill till himmelen men få vill ju dö
Man vill kamma in vinningen, men sår inga frön

Thanks to an electronic translator and my very limited Swedish, here’s the translation:

All wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die,
Everyone wants to rake the harvest, without sowing its seed
All wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die,
Everyone wants to rake the harvest, without sowing its seed

To my Swedish friends, I hope you can tell me if I’m right. 🙂

I once thought that the title speaks of mortality alone, in which her song “Some Die Young” followed it. When I checked the rest of the lyrics, somehow, it actually spoke of the reality of man’s selfishness. The rest of the song echoes how human beings want to grab whatever they want, without wanting to sacrifice or give up anything to achieve their goals. To think that everyone wants to be in heaven without dying sounds funny, but it is actually a sad truth that only a few realizes.

What I’ve captured here is the idea of sowing and reaping. In science, in every action there’s always an opposite and equal reaction. A soccer ball can’t go to the goal unless you start kicking it around to bring it there. Everything has kinetic energy, but can never be released unless you do it by moving it around.

Of course, what will you harvest if nothing is sowed into the field? The Bible speaks that you will reap whatever you sow. To know what to sow and for what you are sowing for, one must realize that decisions should always be carefully made. Unwise decisions can create huge disasters, especially if the motive is for selfish gain.

Just lately, huge investment and pyramid scams made the headlines. Due to offers of multiplied kickbacks without doing much (and more perks by becoming an agent), they invested huge amounts of money into those so-called corporation.

It was shocking that some of the victims were prominent people. As I discussed this with a fellow reporter, it was evident that the idea of “easy money” and mere greediness caused them huge losses. It was also appalling to see how one’s greediness can cause one to lose the sense of wisdom, making the eyes see the end result without investigation and consultation.

We want to reap the harvest, without sacrificing right. We want abundance through easy money. We want fame without the willingness for discipline and humility. We try to reach the top without knowing the right way to reach it. There are always the terms of losses in order to get to the peak…unecessary baggages are hindrances to an end goal.

And of course, I’d never deny how I was almost trapped in that mindset. To get rich, I tried to join networking groups with products I’m not really interested in. I just liked the perks it offers. Gladly, the networking groups that I was invited into required hard work and good training before reaping that reward. In fact, there’s still sacrifice into it, and idleness is not required.

As I thought about the song, I agree how man can be so selfish and idle all along. Here’s another point to the song, a sacrifice worth keeping.

Contemplating on the idea of going to heaven without dying, I look at it in a different way. There’s another kind of death that paves the way to heaven. In fact, no one can really go to heaven unless we give up ourselves to the One who died for us.

Jesus died for you and me. When He gave His life on the cross, His death and ressurection sowed eternal life to those who are willing to reap it. His blood has become a seal of righteousness and cleansing to those who are willing to give up their own selves and exchanging their selfishness to a relationship with Him. In such a sowing, I believe this one with the most wonderful offer. We can never get into covenant with the true Covenant Maker if we don’t break our covenant with the world that had infilled us with selfishness from the beginning. As the world teaches us to gain without giving into discipline, righteousness, and selflessness, Jesus teaches us to die to our old sinful nature, more so give up negative baggages that hinder us from getting the inheritance that He has set for us from the beginning. Just like the eternal life that He promised to those who accepts Him as Lord and Savior.

In my walk with the Lord, I must admit, it’s not easy to die to myself. Until now, I’m battling with my selfishness and pride. But in order to live a fulfilling life in Him, I must give up the baggages that hinder the prize Himself. Jesus is my prize. His love is worth than millions of kisses. Actually, heaven is just a perk in this. But it is Jesus Himself who’s worth it all.

So going to heaven does not only require dying physically. So does getting the abundance and the inheritance the Lord has set for us. To die for one’s self is hard, but when we do, it’s worth the freedom and the joy that comes from Him.