You Reap What You Sow. Chris Widener

      Love. Let’s talk about the first one: love. At the very core of humankind, everybody wants love. They want to be cherished. They want to be in a relationship with somebody who is concerned for them and dedicated to them. I’m specifically talking about your marriage relationship because the second one we’re going to talk about is relationships in general, which might be family relationships or friendship. The vast majority of people get married, and the vast majority of people want to be happy. Nobody wants to be unhappy in marriage. There’s nothing worse than being unhappy in marriage because the person you’re supposed to have a vibrant relationship with, you actually have a negative relationship with, and it cuts to the very core of who you are.

      Let me ask. Do you want to be treated well? Would you like to reap being treated well? Then, you must treat others well. You must treat your spouse well. Now, I used to be a minister. I spent a number of years in the ministry, and I did a lot of counseling with people. I had people who would call me on Thanksgiving Day in raging arguments, screaming and yelling at each other, and I thought, “How horrible on Thanksgiving Day that you’re in this knock-down, drag-out argument that’s taking over one of the days that should be the most gratitude-filled and enjoyable days.” One of the things I would hear people say is, “Well, I’m not going to until she does.” Or she would say, “I’m not going to because he won’t.” What they are all saying, “I want to reap, but I’m unwilling to sow. He’s got to sow. She’s got to sow. I’m not going to sow.”