THE SEEDS YOU SOW

THE SEEDS YOU SOW

 

Black Lives Matter! White Lives Matter! All Lives Matter!  Blah, Blah, Blah…  What matters are the seeds you sow!

Upon release of the news of the death of George Floyd, I was greatly saddened. All the details had not come out, and thus I was absolutely sympathetic to the cause of George Floyd.  Black Lives Matter! I had no problem saying black lives mattered.  More information came out, and we found out George was on drugs.  Okay, black lives still mattered.  More information came out, he was a felon and a drug addict and trying to pass off counterfeit money.  Okay, so, I’m not feeling as bad for him, but, that said, black lives still matter, and his life mattered.

What has changed my mind about saying Black Lives Matter? Lots of information has.  Do Black Lives still matter to me? Yes! Do White Lives Matter? Asian Lives? All Lives? Absolutely, yes!

During my lifetime, I have been called a racist.  I am not a racist, but what I call myself is a peopleist.  I generally don’t like people. I don’t care if you’re white, black or Asian.  I will not hate you for skin color.  I will try to never hate you no matter what.  That said, I do have a strong dislike for people, not for the color of their skin, but for the contents of their hearts. In Matthew we are told that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. And since the death of Mr. Floyd, I have heard the hearts of many speaking loud and clear.

Your words and your actions are seeds, and you are sowing those words and actions from the abundance of your heart.  As you speak and act, your deeds go out as if you were a farmer sowing your field.  As in the parable of the sower from Mark Chapter 4, some of your words will fall on stony ground, some on the shallow ground and some will be devoured by the birds.  But some will land on fertile ground, and they will grow. So, you must ask yourself if what you are planting is what you want to grow.

It’s like this, my ears, and those of many others, are fertile ground.  Not only do we hear your words, but we observe your actions. Now, will it matter that you’re sowing bad seed? To me, it matters, and it hurts my heart. But I will still judge every black person I meet by the contents of their hearts.  Many others, however, will take what you are sowing and hold it against all black people.  These are bad seeds that you are sowing to others. You are sowing weeds of hatred and racism into your own garden. 

When you say Black Lives Matter and burn down the businesses of black people, I don’t believe you.  When you loot the businesses that black people shop at, your words become meaningless.  When you kill another black person, your words become meaningless to me.  If you go to any area of town to burn, loot, kill, or commit violence, you are putting out the message that black lives don’t really matter.

Even though I see you doing this, I still know black lives matter. That said, as I see you doing this, I know you don’t really believe that Black Lives Matter.  To me, you’re proving that you care for no one but yourself. You don’t care about black lives, white lives, or any lives but your own.

You want the freedom to do what you want to do with no consequences. But there are consequences. There are messages you are sending to people whether you plan to or not. Your message from your actions is the exact opposite of the title for your protests, and the consequence will eventually be the opposite of what you say you want.

My heart goes out to George Floyd.  I know it’s too late for him.  But what about all the others out there that are lost like he was?  What are you and I doing to help others of all colors to change and make it in this life? You can volunteer, you can donate, or you can just take time to sit and talk with friends and acquaintances.  Their lives matter.

I want to leave you with one last thought.  What kinds of seeds are you sowing? Are you growing crops that will feed people with love and kindness, or are you feeding them hate, anger and hostility? Black, white, or Asian, we are all sowing our seeds every day, and those seeds affects others.