us can make that switch in consciousness in a moment. For others the change comes slowly. All of us have been programmed and trained for many, many years to put our faith in others or in materiality rather than in the Creative Forces and in ourselves as creators of what happens in our lives. We need to change those limiting beliefs.
We can begin to move toward faith in the Creative Forces and in ourselves by applying the law in the highest ways through planting positive seeds. There are many wonderful seeds which the readings recommend we sow: faith, hope, patience, gentleness, kindness, and love. These and others—forgiveness, trust, peace, joy, and mercy—are occasionally referred to in the readings as seeds of the spirit of truth. We are assured that “as we sow” them, they will return to us in abundance as fruits of the Spirit and will create harmony in our lives. Obviously, as this law operates through time, such results must come. How wonderful it is to realize such joyous results can be a part of our lives; that it is not up to fate or chance, but is our choice, and as we apply the law the results will, must come!15
MISAPPLYING THE LAWS
The law, “as you sow so shall you reap,” is cited many times in the readings because it applies to so much that we do. Here are two examples of how we can misapply it. A 79-year-old man asked:
(Q) Have personal vices as tobacco and whiskey any influence on one’s health or longevity?
(A) … you are suffering from the use of some of these in the present; but it is overindulgence. In moderation these are not too bad, but man so seldom will be moderate. Or, as most say, those who even indulge will make themselves pigs, but we naturally are pigs when there is overindulgence. This, of course, makes for conditions which are to be met. For what one sows that must one reap. This is unchangeable law.
(5233-1)
The answer was just a polite way of saying: Yes, it adversely affects your health and decreases your life span, and you will have to meet those conditions.
A woman asked this intriguing question:
(Q) Do you see that it is possible for me to straighten out this tangled affair?
(A) All things are possible with God. Though it may bring some heartaches, though there are already many regrets, begin with the spiritual activity. Do not expect results in one day, nor one week. Individuals do not sow one day and reap the next. They reap what they have sown in the periods when that sown has come to fruitage. For what you sow, so shall you reap. Indiscretions, and the sentiments that are based wholly upon material satisfactions, must bring the tares and the weeds in the experience of the body. Those things sown in mercy, truth, justice, will bring their rewards in the same realm, in the same coin as sown. (971-1)AR
The key to straightening out the affair was to “begin with the spiritual activity”—to sow the right seeds of mercy, truth, and justice—no doubt far different than those previously sown.
This reading offers an extremely important precaution to us: “Do not expect results in one day, nor one week. Individuals do not sow one day and reap the next. They reap what they have sown in the periods when that sown has come to fruitage.” The woman, though she planted new seeds, would still have to face—maybe in her next lifetime—what she had created in the past. The change would come later, when the new seeds would begin to mature. However, her change in consciousness represented by the attitudes of mercy, truth, and justice would enable her to deal with whatever came and prevent planting seeds of less desirable nature as she dealt with it. As we make changes in our lives, we need to have patience to allow the new seeds to grow and mature. We also need to acknowledge at the same time that we will still have to deal with that which we have created in the past. How we do this is an important part of the law.
SEEDS I HAVE ALREADY SOWN
If you have sown some seeds in the past which you now wish you hadn’t or you are concerned about their possible manifestations, you can do something about them. There are several possibilities:
1. You may not have to meet them in this lifetime.
2. You are never presented with more than you can handle at any time as long as you put your trust in your Creator.
3. Know that whatever seed you have sown is for a purpose, for your benefit, for your growth, and that you can get help from the Creative Forces in meeting the results. You, of course, need to ask for that help.
4. There are higher laws—such as the law of grace, the law of forgiveness, and others—that enable us to meet the conditions we have created without going through all the chaos and trauma that we ordinarily would.16
You are not alone. Every one of us faces difficulties which we created in this or previous lifetimes. Consider these as opportunities and as lessons to be learned. The earth plane is our school of law. Whatever the condition that you are reaping or whatever the seed that you have sown, there is always a way available to you to meet it.
Suppose, for example, you have been resentful and bitter toward others over some situation, and you know that your attitude will only bring more of the same to you. What can you do to change? We often resent others because we have doubts and fears regarding ourselves and others. Turn over that doubt and fear to your Creator by simply saying, “Here are my doubts and fears about this situation. Help me to cast this resentment and bitterness out of my life. I don’t want it!” Toss it out of your life and put in something better. Let the love and peace of the Higher Power so fill your mind and your body that there is no place for resentment, doubt, or fear. Whenever you feel resentment, replace it with a constructive thought or affirmation, such as, “The love of God now fills my mind and my body.” Repeat it until you feel it or sense it in you. Then manifest it by being of help to others.
JESUS AND THE LAW
The source of the readings points out that our purpose when we were created as souls “in the beginning” was to be companions with the Father-God. They further explain that we, of our own choice, took paths which separated us from our Creator. The reason we are here on this earth plane is to find our way back to the Father. Jesus found the way. The readings explain that when He entered the earth plane nearly 2,000 years ago, He came in as you and I did—with temptations, problems, and difficulties. But He discovered that the Father was within Him, that He and the Father were one: “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father in me …” (John 14:11, NEB)
Jesus attuned Himself so completely to the Father within that He became perfectly spiritualized in body, mind, and spirit and thus eventually became the Christ. The readings express it as Jesus (the man) who became the Christ (christed).
This reading gives us a clue as to His transformation: “… whatsoever a man soweth, that must he also reap. This was truly exemplified in the life of the man of Galilee.” (5749-12)
The law is the key. Jesus sowed spiritual seeds which spiritualized His spirit, mind, and body, for the law works on all three levels! So, as Jesus sowed the seeds of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and others, He began to reap these as spiritual fruits.17 He thus became as the Father within, the spirit of love, of joy, of peace, of patience, and all the others. So, in this way, He became spiritualized. The wonderful part about this is that He said we could do it, too:
In truth, in very truth I tell you, he who has faith in me will do what I am doing; and he will do greater things still …
John 14:12, NEB
Jesus was applying the law “as you sow so shall you reap.” We can do it in a similar way
