We reap what we sow. That is the case for every single one of us, no matter if we’re old or young, rich or poor.
And while money might allow you to buy your way out of a lot of things in life, sooner or later, the consequences of your actions will come around and hit you in the face.
Let me explain why your actions have consequences in the present and future.
You will reap what you sow explained
Despite You Reap What You Sow’s biblical origins, it has spread and relates to far more different life aspects such as moral, spiritual, and psychological areas.
What we dish out to other people will sooner rather than later come around to ourselves as well. Both the good and the bad.
That’s why we should make it a point to treat other people with respect and dignity. We should treat other people the way we want to be treated ourselves.
Some people think they get away with everything they do, but that has not been my personal experience. I think that’s pure arrogance and delusions of grandeur talking. It can indeed take a very long time before something comes back to us, but eventually, it always does.
People often think that they can outrun their past. That whatever they did in past times does not influence their future. That all the sins they’ve committed in the past will be forgiven and forgotten. And while it is true that people can change for the better, it is naive to think that your past behavior and actions do not influence your present and future whatsoever.
If you’ve failed to invest in developing your skills, your personality, and your mental and physical health, then it is very likely that you will eventually start to suffer the consequences if you keep this up long enough. As you sow shall you reap.
You might get chronically ill, you might start to suffer from mental illnesses such as depression. It can also be the case that you don’t become proficient at anything in life, which can be the reason why you can’t find a stable job. Not to mention that there’s nothing worse than untapped potential.
Consequently, there are also upsides to this phenomenon. If you treat others and yourself well, then you will reap the rewards over time. If you invest in yourself, then you will find yourself becoming a better person.
You will notice that it seems like luck has an easier time finding you. Although luck is a factor and can hit you randomly, most of the time, luck is just competence and hard work paying off by allowing you to become successful and be recognized by those around you.
Accordingly, It means that if you spend your time usefully developing your talents and good personality traits, you will eventually become proficient and can thrive in your community and the world as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does, “we reap what we sow” mean?
We reap what we saw, which means that we will undergo the same kind of things that we have done to other people. In other words, we will experience what we have made other people experience.
It implies that our future consequences are tied to and depend on our current actions.
Examples of reaping what you sow in life
Let’s assume that a student gets away with lying to their teacher, for example. They said that they didn’t finish their task at home because they were sick. And let’s assume that the teacher believes this, even though it wasn’t true, and doesn’t deduct any points for this. This behavior might even be habitual and that student keeps tricking the same teacher over and over.
This means that the lying student gets rewarded in the short term for it because the teacher doesn’t deduct any points, and by giving the student more time to finish their tasks. But, do you really think that the liars are happy with themselves? Do you think they don’t know what they’re doing is wrong? Or that they’re trying to hide something and are too afraid and too much of a coward to tell the truth?
Even if all of this doesn’t bother them, this means that they will run into problems later on in life because they didn’t learn how to study or to conduct themselves properly in school.
Not only that, sooner or later people will catch on to, and figure out that this particular individual is continually lying and attempting to deceive others for their gain and satisfaction.
Another example of reaping what you sow can be treating other people poorly. They might be disrespecting others, being rude, and perhaps even bullying them.
At first, people might be scared of this person. That rude bully might even be rewarded by coercing others into giving them what they want because those around them are scared, insecure, or afraid of being verbally or physically harmed.
Eventually, though, they will meet the wrong person who is unafraid to stand up to them. They will find that word travels fast and that people have a low opinion of that individual. Most probably, others will not want to help him/her. Not to mention, that the rude bully might even get in trouble with the police or other authorities.
Just because someone at first glance seems to be getting away with disgusting behavior doesn’t mean they are or will continue doing so in the future. Sometimes things seem hidden to the bare eye but are present.
Conclusion
You will sow what you reap. Your actions in the past matter. They made you who and what you are today, and other people will treat you accordingly based on the manner you’ve treated them in the past.
Of course, you shouldn’t immediately despair, either. Just because you’ve made mistakes in the past doesn’t automatically mean the future you are doomed. But you should make it a point to do better and to treat others with respect.
But consistently making the same mistakes and negative actions either to yourself or others will come back to haunt you. That’s why you should develop your critical thinking skills and think about what you’re doing from time to time. It will save you a lot of headaches and trouble.