Do we always reap what we sow?

People regularly ask me that question because incidents often happen in their lives and they can't imagine having ever done anything to reap them. The answer to the above-mentioned question is ALWAYS YES! The immutable law of cause and effect manages everything.

The reason why many people question the veracity of the answer ‘always’ is because they believe they deserve to reap according to their actions. What follows is the key element to remember when trying to understand the law of cause and effect; it is based on our attitude (fears, accusations, beliefs, etc.) and not our actions.

Take for example a mother who has a son who does not want to see her, much less talk to her. This mother gets quite emotional and accuses her son. When asked what she could have sown to reap this, she would most likely say that she never behaved like that in her entire life. At first glance, understanding what she has sown seems quite difficult. In this case, she needs to first look at what she accuses her son of being. Does she find him ungrateful, stubborn, arrogant or selfish? She reaps a person in her life whose behavior is, according to her, ungrateful, stubborn, arrogant and selfish. Then, she needs to look deeper within herself and wonder what happened between her and her son that she blamed herself for being the same way. Even if it’s not always with the same person, it’s still a good starting point.

If she can't figure out when she had the same attitude, she can ask her son if he might have ever accused her of the same things. Even though he no longer wants to talk to her, she could write him saying that since she wants to know herself better, she would like to know what she has sown for reaping the ongoing situation between them. He will certainly be much more open to meet or talk to her. However, for this to happen, he should feel no blame whatsoever coming from his mother. This is essential. He must feel that she fully accepts her responsibility and that she realizes now that the difficult situation between the two of them does not come from him, but is the consequence of something she has sown.

The mother could also have blamed herself for being like her son in a situation she experienced with her father.

Once she identifies the situation where she judged herself of having the same attitude, she then needs to determine her intention at the time. Chances are that her intentions were good. She wanted to perhaps protect the other person or teach him a lesson so that he could change for the better (by her standards). By becoming aware of her own intention, she will come to accept herself and therefore accept the other as well.

Discovering what we sowed in order to reap something is easier when the situation happens with another person. Situations where we reap something unpleasant that doesn’t directly involve another person requires more inner search.

Take the example of a man who has been very prosperous financially for many years and who’s on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to discover what he has sown, he needs to become aware of what he has set in motion to attract this. Was he afraid of being poor? Has he strived to succeed for the sole purpose of not being judged? Did he value himself only for his money? This example illustrates that his primary motivation was “not to be poor” and/or “not to be judged”. Because the subconscious mind relies only on images ensuing from our thoughts, our beliefs and actions and that's why we eventually reap what we sow within us.

Why must we always reap? Because, in order to live in total happiness and inner peace, we must one day experience all situations through love, that is to say in full acceptance, without any judgement based on right and wrong. We need to recognize that everything we go through makes up our life experiences and that we need to sort them out to discover what is most intelligent for ourselves.

Our inner God is perfect. He does not want to punish us; He just wants to help us become aware of the aspects of ourselves we have yet to accept and love. We therefore reap them as difficult experiences. As soon as we accept ourselves and accept others, should they reoccur, they would no longer be experienced like before.

In the first above-mentioned example, the mother did not accept the stubborn, arrogant, selfish and ungrateful aspects of herself. Accepting means to give ourselves the right to be who we are at that moment. That’s the only way for her to become what she prefers to be. In the second example, the man did not accept to be poor, nor did he recognize his own value beyond money. Such a person would also have difficulty in accepting those traits in others.

When you reap a situation that makes you suffer greatly and that its root-cause is difficult to identify, it most likely means that it comes from a past life. The best way to find harmony again is to accept the situation and accept yourself throughout.

In conclusion, know that when harvest time has arrived, it’s always to help you become aware of what is happening deep within you and to know whether some character traits are accepted or not. You will have the pleasant surprise to discover that as you accept yourself more, you will attract more of what brings you happiness and harmony. The key is acceptance!

Lise Bourbeau