"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6
Does this sound like a saucy, spiteful blog title or what? Sorry to get anyone's dramatic hopes up, but I am not trying to be sassy and as Destiny's Child once said "bust ya out on the Internet" because as they also said "my mama (DEFINITELY) taught me better than that." Back to the point- I came across this verse earlier, and I couldn't help but remember an entertaining scenario from a few weeks ago.
A friend and I were just cruising through the Sonic drive-in as I was searching for an open parking spot when out of nowhere the Sonic worker just strolls out into the road. I stopped and waited for him to cross, but he still gave me one of the most venomous looks known to mankind. I was shocked and repulsed. I had politely stopped to let this chap pass, and he not only hesitates in the middle of the road but shoots me a death glare. WELL, if you know me and my quick-to-be-overdramatic-and-throw-a-fit self sometimes, my first instinct was to run the little punk over (ok, so not that crazy) but at least roll down my window and say whatever derogatory statement I found suitable or give him a raunchy look in return. Yet, I gained composure and casually pulled into my parking spot instead. Now to the "what goes around comes around" concept.
Would you like to know who had to come and personally deliver my food to me AFTER he had given me a death glare? OH YES, Mr. Punk himself. As I saw him coming in my rearview mirror, I pondered how I would react to this delivery and the rude boy himself. Yet, after I pushed aside the evil schemes I had rolling around in my head, I- for the first and most likely only time in my life- had a Frieda McKenzie moment and decided to take the "Kill them with Kindness" route. The boy reached my window, and you could tell he was embarrassed that he had just sent me to Purgatory and back with his eyes a few moments before. However, as he handed me my food, I smiled and gave him an extra large tip and wished him a good day. As he walked away looking a tad surprised, I couldn't help but smile. For nothing quite makes the medicine go down like a spoonful of sugar (Mary Poppins reference fully intended), and his medicine was hard to swallow.
Now, you may ask where the "what goes around comes around" concept comes into play because he was rude and still got a tip (miraculous, huh?). Well you see, he was rude then wound up having to come and deliver me my food- which is punishment in itself. He had to come face to face with someone he had mistreated and wait for the verdict. On the other hand, if I had acted out when he first gave me a rude glance, I would have had to feel ashamed when he came to my car window a few minutes later. Therefore be careful of how you treat people in life because what goes around comes around, and people that you encounter at one point in your life may come back around at some point (even less than three minutes later in a food line) when you're the server. Yet, I think that to truly "reap generously" as the verse says, we have to "sow generously" for not only ourselves but for others and others who do not "sow generously" for us in return. We cannot truly harvest life and life in its abundance until we love others fully and forgive those who do not sow for us. Luckily, the "what goes around comes around" concept is not in God's book. He sows generously for us daily when our most generous harvest could never compare to His glory. We received his graceful reap when we had done nothing to deserve it. Therefore, pass on your generous sows even when others don't deserve it.
Because do you want to know who really received the generous reap that day? It wasn't the worker with a few more cents in his pocket. It was me who had the bountiful harvest as I set aside my vengeful plow and purgatory glances and simply forgave.
