life beyond the well…

Tag Archives: Friendship


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Planting the Right Seeds

I grew up in the country, and around about this time of year, we’d be preparing to plant some flowers.  My maternal grandmother was the quintessential gardener, and always had impeccable flowers around the yard.  One of my fondest memories of my grandmother is of her working in her flowers.  It was something she took great pride in, and I recall several afternoons from spring, and into the early summer, of getting off of the school bus and finding her in some obscure nook and cranny of the yard, figuring out what type of plant would be perfect for that spot.

As a tomboy who loved to be outdoors, helping my grandmother with the flowers was a nice activity.  Perhaps, not my favorite in terms of what actually took place.  However, the quality time that I shared with my grandmother made it all worthwhile.  It was in these moments that I truly understood the value of planting the right seeds.  Not just in the ground, so that one could have beautiful flowers; but also in life.

Anyone who halfway knows The Bible most likely has a general understanding of reaping what you sow.  In Galatians 6:7-10, you can find the following:

“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. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

That scripture speaks to the value of planting the right seeds, and the effects of not.  However it also encourages us to not give up in doing good- which I would say can be a challenge.  At least I know it’s a challenge for me.  Yet and still, if I would study the first part, and recall that I’m reaping what I’m sowing , it’s some encouragement for me to stay on the right path.

All of these thoughts were sparked by an email that I received from Mrs. Reba.  Mrs. Reba is a delightful woman who I met at my church when I was living in Athens.  She truly has a wonderful spirit, and always seeks to encourage others.  And, I will say that what I love most about her is her willingness to tell the truth in love.  I think it’s wonderful for people to care enough about you to tell you the truth.  But I digress.

In Mrs. Reba’s email, it included some thoughts about planting the right seeds.  Here’s the snippet that I enjoyed the most:

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

* If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Well said, Mrs. Reba, well said.  This has renewed my focus on what happens later, because as Christians, this life is only a glimpse of what to come.  We’re preparing for eternity.  It just might be useful to plant the right seeds for it.


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The Value of Being You

I’ll start this post with one of my favorite quotes from Sex and the City:

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that’s just fabulous.”

I’ve been through some challenges recently, and as I think about it, it’s really come down to me being true to myself; who I am, and what it is that I want for myself.  And that sounds pretty simple, and pretty basic.  However, I think we’re very easily distracted by the possibilities that we create in our imagination, and fail to trust our intuition.  That, can lead to a disaster.

In relationships, you have to know who you are so that your identity doesn’t become lost in the identity of the person you’re with.  And I believe that the real hope is that you’ll find someone that loves you for you who you are, as you are.  But in order for that to happen, you have to be yourself.  Again, sounds simple.  However, I think we make it pretty complex.

We’re very cautious in how we reveal ourselves to people because we don’t want to get hurt and we don’t want to be vulnerable.  There are these walls that we have up for whatever reason, and it usually has absolutely nothing to do with the person that is attempting to get close to us.  Part of being yourself is allowing that side of you to show- with faith that the other party will accept you.  Sometimes it’ll happen.  Sometimes it won’t.  It’s a risk that one has to take.

Yet, if you DON’T do it, you risk even more.  You risk being untrue to yourself, allowing yourself to create and maintain this facade, which could crumble at any second; depending on the circumstances.  And you also risk hurting someone else, which to me, is one of the worst outcomes of any situation.

I’m proud and confident because at the end of the day, I know that I’ve been truthful and honest with myself.  I’m okay with who I am…and if you know me well enough, you know that I LOVE MYSELF (a lot).  I can border on being conceited.  However, I think that’s a process that one goes through as they began to accept everything about themselves; the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Although I’m nowhere close to where I’d like to be, I’m on the right track, and very grateful that I’m not where I could be or where I used to be.  I’m a definite work in progress.

There’s a lot in my future that I’m excited for, and that I remain cautiously optimistic about.  And through it all, I will continue to embrace who I am and trust myself.