Sowing through the Tears

Life is not always easy. For some it’s incredibly hard. Believers are not exempt from the realities of living in a fallen and hostile world.
I have often had to pray with people suffering from the consequences of traumas which had happened to them or their family - traumas such as those caused by accidents, redundancy, sickness, poverty, violence, premature death and even war.
I recently looked at a gravestone in a country churchyard. I was impacted by the two names on the stone. They were brothers, both of them killed in action during the First World War. Their father was the minister of the Church. I wonder how he coped with the double tragedy of having to bury both his sons, while at the same time declaring the glorious truths of the Gospel to his people? There’s no doubt that many times in the rest of his ministry he would have been sowing in tears.
Our Scripture today encourages us to keep on sowing, even through tears of pain or personal distress. For those who keep on sowing, with forgiving, thankful hearts, will one day see the harvest that comes from their sowing.
It is not only the witness of our words that matters, it is also the witness of our lives. It’s easy to be dynamic for God when everything’s fine. It is quite another thing to maintain godliness in the face of crisis and pain. But it’s the witness of our lives at times such as these which can have the greatest impact on the lives of others.
When a Christian policeman was shot dead in Manchester, people were shocked by the news. But it was the forgiveness offered by his family, and their Christian witness, that made headlines next day in the papers! And on the following Sunday, the cameras followed them to Church. They continued sowing – even through the tears.
Action Line: How do you react when things go badly wrong? Is it time to say sorry to God for allowing difficult circumstances to blunt the effectiveness of your Christian life and witness?
Prayer: Help me Lord to keep on sowing the good seed of the Kingdom, even when times are hard. Thank you Jesus that you did not give up when people turned against you. Amen