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Fruit of Your Labor

Fruit of Your Labor

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Fruit of Your Labor--flower and vegetable garden with orchard in backgroundMy dad’s garden and orchard fed our family plus dozens of others. He spent years growing food and flowers as a labor of love. Dad also understood what it means to enjoy the fruit of your labor.

The fruit of your labor means the reward for your work.

Your efforts pay off. Because you refuse to give up, you bear fruit.

Long hours and hard work make you appreciate the fruit of your labor.

  • Farmers harvest their crops.
  • Gardeners enjoy vegetables, fruit, and flowers.
  • Students celebrate graduation.
  • Business owners enjoy profits.

You benefit from your investment of:

  • Time
  • Money
  • Muscle (mental or physical)

The harder the work the more enjoyable the fruit of your labor.

Life may give you long rows to hoe. However, you usually reap what you sow. Greater efforts result in greater rewards.

Make relationships your most important investment.

According to the Bible, the greatest commandments are to love God and love one another. The best fruit does not result from a focus on self. Rather, it grows from love and service.

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours” (Psalm 128:1-2 NIV).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

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What Goes Around Comes Around

What Goes Around Comes Around

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What Goes Around Comes AroundWisconsin’s House on the Rock owns the largest indoor carousel in the world. That merry-go-round is huge!

  • 269 carousel animals
  • More than 20,000 lights
  • 182 chandeliers

A carousel always returns to its starting point. So does anything that moves in circles. All demonstrate what goes around comes around.

We often see what goes around comes around in daily life as well.

  • If we hurt others, we can expect hurt.
  • If we help others, we can expect help.
  • If we ignore others, we can expect to be ignored.

We believe people should get what they deserve. We think rewards and punishment should be based on behavior. But life is not always fair. What goes around comes around is not always true.

  • We don’t always reap what we sow.
  • Sometimes people hurt us when we don’t deserve hurt.
  • Other times people help us when we don’t deserve help.

Therefore, we must decide:

  • Will we love people, regardless of how they treat us?
  • Or will we give them control by acting like them?

Let’s start more circles of kindness and forgiveness. What do you think?

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).

Please comment below on ways you have seen people show kindness in recent days.

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