It was quite a few years ago now, fairly early in my walk with God, when I increasingly felt it on my heart to rid myself of stuff.
I had so much clothing, so many shoes, so many bags, and so much jewelry; I could easily decorate a whole forest of Christmas trees with it, LOL. Read more about that in my blog
I had acquired most of this collecting frenzy from my first marriage. A marriage in which I was so unhappy, didn’t know God yet, and so filled my discontent with stuff.
A lot. Of. Stuff!
I decided I was done with it and decided to get rid of a lot. So I sold a lot but also gave a lot away to family, friends, and thrift stores.
Until one day I felt it in my heart to give away my gold ring! I had several gold rings, also bought on impulse, assuming that I could fill my happiness with them. However, it was specifically that ring on that finger that I had to give to that one specific colleague.
Although I didn’t understand a thing about what God wanted with this, strangely enough, it made me incredibly happy!!
On the ward in the hospital where I worked at the time, I had a good relationship with a colleague; she could have been my daughter, there was so much age difference between us, LOL.
But that didn’t spoil the fun; we had a great time together and also saw each other occasionally outside of work. She was one of the few colleagues who didn’t think I was a “weirdo Jesus freak,” because most of the colleagues thought my beginning walk with the Lord was just weird, LOL.
Not her; she found it interesting and was without judgment.
That morning when I knew I was going to give my ring to her, I drove to work elated. I was looking forward to it, even though I still didn’t know God’s underlying thought behind it. When I arrived at work, I ran into her immediately in the hallway: “GIRL, God is telling me I have to give you this ring. No idea why, but I suspect there is a lesson in it for me, which probably has to do with letting go of stuff and not holding on to material things,” I rattled on non-stop while she looked at me with wide eyes.
I sincerely thought that God was teaching me a lesson in “decluttering” and that it had to do with all the many other things I had already gotten rid of.
She understood it just as little as I did, but after much hesitation, she accepted the ring anyway. She’s happy, I’m happy, and God’s happy.
The End……or so I thought….
As time passes
About three years went by. A lot changed in the meantime.
She resigned and moved to the other side of the country. I also quit this department and went to work in another department within the hospital. My six-year relationship ended, I met my current husband a year later, and then got married twenty-four weeks later—life with Jesus, LOL.
I still had “contact” with her via Facebook. I saw how she was building her life in another part of our country, and she saw how I eventually became a married woman and reacted very happily to that, and in response, I received a private message from her.
She responded enthusiastically, and we chatted for a bit. Soon, our conversation turned to faith again. She was searching and told me that she had always carried everything I had shared with her about this in the past with her. “I still have your ring, too, and I still wear it occasionally,” she said. I had long since forgotten about that whole ring!
After we had finished our conversation, I reflected on all the conversations we had had in the past, how I had always been able to share the gospel with her very openly, and how she always absorbed it like a sponge.
I had always found it remarkable. I hoped and prayed for her that someone else would cross her path who would reap what I had sown with so much love…
Sitting on the toilet
Still savoring our conversation, I walked back inside from the garden. It was a warm summer day. I continued with the laundry, poured myself a glass of cold lemonade, and then walked to the toilet.
My dear husband had arrived home by now and was sitting comfortably in the garden when he was startled by my screams from the toilet… THAT WAS IT!!! NOW I GET IT, THE RING!!!
The realization hit me like a bomb, and I came out of the toilet crying; my husband sat stiff with shock in the garden chair and didn’t know if they were tears of joy or if something else was going on.
Suddenly, years after I had given the ring away, I had a revelation about this!
Of the many gold rings I wore at the time, God asked me to give away that one specific ring on that one specific finger. It was a ring that sat on my right ring finger!
This ring had to make way for another ring: my wedding ring! God had caused me to sow a ring so that subsequently, years later, I would reap a ring!
Sowing and reaping is a principle in God’s Kingdom and can be found throughout the Bible. Additionally, God always gives us something more beautiful in return when He asks us to give something up.
This act of obedience of mine had so many layers of blessings that I needed days to recover from it.
I had sown and reaped.
I had given away a ring but received a ring in return!
And not just any ring, but a wedding ring and a marriage to a man of God. I had truly captured the ring, because I didn’t buy the wedding ring I received, but it was my grandmother’s wedding ring, which my mother gave me!
Everything fell into place! God is so good; when He asks us to do something for someone, to help someone with something, or to give something, the recipient is never blessed alone. It always works in multiple directions, and everyone is blessed: the recipient, the giver, and God, for His Name is glorified when we are obedient.
That day, years after I had given away the ring, it turned out that with that act of obedience, everyone was blessed: my colleague because the seed was still in her heart, me because I had sown and reaped, and God because finally, after all those years, the penny dropped for me and He received all the honor and glory!
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” – Psalm 126:5
I want to encourage you with this: when God asks you to give something up or to sow in another, remember that He never asks this for nothing, and it is never for the benefit of the other person alone, but certainly for you as well. Sowing and reaping is Biblical. (Genesis 1:11, Genesis 2:4-9)
“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so.” – Genesis 1:11
In my case, it was a ring, but sowing can also mean sowing your time in other people or a ministry, clothing, food, money, encouraging words, love, or a listening ear.
Sow with a cheerful heart!
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7
Are you walking proudly with Him? Show the world that He changed your life, or playfully remind them that “y’all need Jesus” – grab your favorite cap now in the webshop!
