The cab of the tractor jolted up and down as I rounded the final turn. The breeze blew the dust across the windshield as I eased on the brakes and looked out across the rich, dark soil. There’s something gratifying about a freshly turned field that resembles the feeling you get when you make the final pass on your lawn with the mower. Satisfaction.
September in Alabama is dirt turning season. Prepping the ground for food plots is part of our annual cycle in conserving, pursuing and harvesting wildlife. A long Saturday spent on the tractor rolling across beautiful acreage in the woods of Alabama is good for the soul.
The satisfaction of the freshly turned dirt is short-lived, however, because it’s merely the beginning. The process of cutting, turning, and seeding is a process that can take weeks depending on how much ground you want to plant, but it must be a complete process. It’s always a cat-and-mouse game with the weather and the conditions, all the while working against the clock, so that in early November you’ve got something to show for your hard work. It takes intentional planning and a good amount of flexibility to take opportunities when they come.
The truth about planting food plots is that if you shortcut any part of the process you will compromise your potential. If you want to get the best results for your effort you’ve got to work through the process from start to finish. You have to take each step, in order, so that you will end up getting the results you are hoping for.
Your journey in life is the same. If you are short-cutting the process of growing as a man, hoping you can cheat the system, or find an easy road, you will likely never achieve the results you are aiming for.
There is an ancient law and principle in play in each of our lives. It is a simple truth but it is not always easy to swallow.
You will always reap what you sow.
To expect anything different is to expect the laws of nature to cease to apply. If you sow corn you will always grow corn. If you sow wheat you will always get wheat. It simply doesn’t work any other way.
If you are not satisfied with what you are reaping in life right now, have you considered what you’re sowing?
This is not a magical formula, but it is a principle that has been proven true.
If you’re going to be a man who matters you must stay in the process to see the harvest, and you must sow what you want to reap.