Welcome to Session 6 at Emeth, our final session of the year! We are already into the second week of this session, and looking forward to starting a new year as we prepare for Session 1 of the 2010-2011 season. This session, as we look back at the past year and prepare for the upcoming season, we are focusing on the meaning of “Sowing and Reaping” with all of our class and team students.
The poem that all of our athletes are learning this session is:
What you plant is what will grow,
You will reap whatever you sow!
Climb your mountain, don’t give up –
Then someday you’ll reach the TOP!
The bible verse we have chosen to along with our theme this session is:
“Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
-Galatians 6:9
As we approach the end of summer, we are given many reminders of the realities of sowing and reaping! Driving by fields of tall, green corn and other crops are sure evidence of a farmer’s hard work in sowing them earlier this year, and a promising harvest to come! Receiving gifts of home grown green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and other fresh vegetables from family and friends are evidence of sowing they did in their gardens this past spring and the plentiful crop that they are now reaping.
As you enjoy these pleasures in the world that God has created for us to live in, I encourage you to see the spiritual truths that He is picturing for us. Everything that God has created for us in this world is a reflection of His character and the deeper meaning that He gives to each of our lives, including this process of sowing and reaping. We cannot escape the reality that what we ‘sow’ through the choices we make in our lives from hour to hour and day to day has a direct impact on what we reap tomorrow, next month, or even in many years to come. Although there are many circumstances in life that we cannot control or predict (just like the farmer cannot predict the weather or control a drought), there are many times that our quality of life and successes or failures are a natural result of what we ourselves have sown.
At Emeth, we are encouraging our athletes to think about the seeds they are sowing each time they come to class or practice. You can emphasize this theme by exploring this concept with your child as you bring them to the gym! Encourage them to ‘sow the seeds’ of paying close attention to their coaches, working hard, and never giving up even when something is difficult or a little bit scary. Take the time to help your child memorize the poem and the verse that go with our theme as well!
This week I challenge you to contemplate and become more aware of what you are sowing into your own life and into the lives of those around you. Are you sowing seeds of love, joy, and patience? Or are you sowing seeds of selfishness and negativism? If we can learn to submit our choices to God’s wisdom and contemplate the ‘harvest’ that our actions will bring to us and others before we carry them out, we will experience far greater rewards and fulfillment in our lives!
-Heather Leshovsky
