Brillant Seeds

By Heidi McLaughlin –

Every time I open my mouth I plant a seed. There are days I wish this was not true, but there is no escape from this law. We can call it sowing and reaping, or “what goes around comes around”, karma or coming full circle. It is a spiritual law where the “status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.” [i]

Surely those subtle, sarcastic remarks when I am standing in a tedious, long line-up can’t have much power. After all, I will probably never again encounter those people again. But I have come to realize that you and I hold an astonishing power that can be absolutely brilliant or beastly.  That power is unleashed through the words that come out of our mouths.

My son-in-law Tim runs a huge farming operation in Southern Alberta. I love to drive by his fields and see the yellow canola, the rich beans, barley or a myriad of other seeds he may have planted that year. Whatever seeds he plants…that is what will grow and be produced. When he plants flax he does not get peas. When he plants canola he does not get barley. There is no getting around this.

As you and I speak in our homes to our husbands or children, we have the staggering power to bring hope, joy and peace simply by opening our mouths. But unfortunately that same concept works with our ugly words. When we blame and accuse; blame and accusations will come back on us. When we criticize; criticism will come back. This may occur in the next hour, day, month or year. We may think we got away with our ugly words-but we do not.

None of us can get around this spiritual law no matter how hard we try. The bible says it this way: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction, the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 5:7, 8 NIV).

Life is too short to play around with this kind of dynamite. I am serious about planting great seeds in 2013. I choose to have my words give life whenever I open my mouth or write a word on my computer. The bible puts it this way: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose” (Proverbs 18:21 MSG). If that doesn’t grip us, we need to check our heartbeat.

How can you and I plant brilliant seeds this year?

1. Be fully aware that every time we open our mouths we have the power to evoke life or death. We can make someone feel valuable and beautiful, or we can destroy their soul and make them feel like trash.

2. Stay immersed in God’s word (the Bible) so that the Spirit of God can have full access to every part of us…every day.

3. Our minds can only have one thought at a time. We must STOP and pray and ask God to help us control the ugly words before they escape our mouths. By the time our prayer is finished, God will have helped us to overcome that momentary, destructive feeling.

4. God has given you and me this space of time in the history to do something significant with our lives. Let’s not miss this glorious, brilliant moment.

My dear friends, in our homes reside the most important people in our lives. We literally have the exceptional power to make them feel respected, valuable and cherished. Or, we can destroy their spirits by crushing them with our words. We are holding the power of brilliance.