You Can’t Reap What You Don’t Sow

I was watching the movie The Lorax with my sons the other day, and have not been able to get the theme song out of my head.  One of the lines in the song goes, “You can’t reap what you don’t sow.” As many times as we have watched the movie, I never focused on that line until this week.  It’s a subtle but powerful twist on the popular biblical passage, “You reap what you sow,” which illuminates the universal spiritual law of karma.

The idea that you get back what you put out is something has been at the forefront of my mind since stepped my spiritual walk up a notch.  For the past year or so, I have been relentlessly intentional about not putting anything out into the world that I don’t wish to get back.  This included slowly but surely releasing judgment, resentment, intolerance, blame, gossip, etc.

All of this releasing of the negative thought patterns and beliefs that I had been projecting into the physical world, would have been for naught if I hadn’t given thought to what I had not been sowing that I would like to be my daily experience.  Last March, while participating in a 7-week spiritual “boot camp,” I made a list of the qualities I most wanted to cultivate.  This list included qualities like love, patience, non-judgment, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, joy, kindness, peace, and harmony.

I was looking at the list of qualities, which I have kept on the mirror in my bedroom for the past year, yesterday as I was getting ready for the day.  I have them each on a separate “sticky” note, posted along the border of the mirror.  I stood in gratitude as I looked down the list and noticed each of them have come to fruition in my life.  I intentionally put love out into the world, and what I got back was love.  I intentionally responded peacefully to day-to-day occurrences, and what I got back was peace.  I intentionally forgave others for their mistakes, and forgave myself for my misperception of them, and what I got back was release of guilt in myself.  I intentionally avoided judging and gossiping about others, and what I got back was the release of my concern about the opinions of others.  I was intentional about being grateful for the abundance that is at hand, and what I got back was the release of desire for things in the world to “complete” me.  I could go on and on.

If I had continued putting out resentment, gossip, and all of the other negativity, I am quite sure I would still be suffering from the anxiety, stress, sense of lack, and depression that were plaguing me.  I know this because there were moments throughout the last year in which I slipped into my old ways, and started to feel frustration and lack of peace rise up in me.  That’s when I realized that negative emotions were indicators of an imbalance in the energy I was putting out into the world, and had nothing to do with the actions of others.  This ended up being my most powerful indicator to let me know when I was putting out something I didn’t wish to receive back.

Pause for a moment, and think about what you might not be sowing that you would like to come to fruition in your life?  Total non-judgment?  Patience?  Acceptance?  Unconditional love?  Forgiveness?  Compassion? Just like we can’t plant an apple seed and expect an orange tree to grow, we cannot plant negativity (via thought, word, or action) and expect to have a positive, peaceful life experience.  That would defy the universal laws, which are always in operation whether we are consciously aware of them or not.

So, try sowing (or planting) only loving thoughts, words, and deeds and see if you notice a shift in the energy around you.  It will be the greatest gift you will have ever given to yourself!

Are you wondering how you can go about only putting out love, and not responding to the apparent negativity around you?  How you can maintain your peace despite the challenges in life that may arise?  How you can develop new habits that can support your desire to rest in the peace in which God created you?  Or, do you have one particular person or situation that you can’t seem to make peace with no matter how hard you’ve tried?  If you have a deep desire to experience inner peace, and are ready to take action, I would love to chat with you.  Email me at coach@kandacejones.com to schedule a free spiritual life coaching consultation.  For more information on my spiritual life coaching services, click here.  I look forward to supporting you on your journey to inner peace!

Keep shining!

~Kandace

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Kandace Jones
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BLOG: http://kandacejones.wordpress.com
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About the Author: Kandace Jones

I used to live life shackled by fear, doubt, and worry. I put on a happy face while navigating my day-to-day duties, but I was emotionally drained, stressed, and unhappy. When I hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was determined to live life differently. I knew there had to be another way. Out of that determination, and guidance from Spirit, the "Living in the Light" blog was born. It documents my spiritual journey out of the darkness and into the Light. After nine months of publicly sharing my journey, and consciously releasing my attachment to the ego, I experienced a powerful spiritual awakening. I went from living in fear, doubt, worry, and stress to complete inner peace. My greatest passion has become assisting others on their own journey to inner peace. My spiritual memoir, From Stress to Peace: An Intimate Journal on the Journey from Living in Darkness to Living in the Light, is available now on Amazon and BN.com. Click the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about the From Stress to Peace 21-Day Challenge, Living in the Light Retreats, 1:1 sessions, and the Living in the Light Community - all of which are designed to support your journey to inner peace. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the blog and look forward to supporting you in any way I can!