To Choose my Weapons and Seeds Wisely

In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Peter cut off the high priest's servant's ear, Jesus instantly said, "All who use swords are destroyed by swords!" Now, two types of people spring to mind who never say anything trivial and unimportant. 1) Those who are always mindfully doing God's work, and 2) Those who know that their lives will soon be over. At this very moment, Jesus fitted both criteria perfectly. These words to Peter were full of wisdom and significance. I couldn't help mulling over them carefully to consider what we may take from them. I believe this is it:

He expressed a principle set in place by God which can be carried over to all aspects of life. Those who use gossip are destroyed by gossip, those who use cheating are destroyed by cheating, those who use discontentment, complaining and griping attract more to complain and gripe about, and those who choose sarcasm and bitterness as their weapons are destroyed by the same. When we use lies, we may attract those who lie to us and furthermore, we may find it far harder to gauge whether what we are hearing around us is truth.

I started to think about some of the weapons I've chosen over the years and regretted.
1) A close-hearted type of stinginess, not wanting to reveal too much good to others for fear that they might hog it all, leaving me to miss out. This was probably partly a result of being the youngest child in my family by far and also being the target of detractors and bullies at school. I spent many years from school onward with the uncomfortable feeling that people were keeping things hidden from me which would benefit me if only I knew.
2) Lots of fear and dread, which definitely attracted more to be nervous about and make me tremble. I ended up with an exhausted body that was on high alert during every waking moment.

I got tired of living this way. I longed for a spirit of lavish generosity and calm trust to replace all of the above. I realised that I must get into the habit of asking, "Is this thought/attitude something I want returned?" Asking this is a good habit because nothing helps us make changes so effectively. Those who say that life is like a mirror that reflects back what we are, are basically saying the same as Jesus about living by the sword.

Those who say we reap what we sow are saying the same thing. To get a bumper crop of sweet, healthy apples, we need to plant good apple seeds in our lives. We can't plant withered little thistle seeds and expect that by some miraculous provision of favour, God will give us apples. The wonderful thing when we sow the right crop is that we have a God of surprises. We won't necessarily get back goodness from the same source where we planted it. We may see returns way down the track when we don't expect them. Proverbs says,"Cast your bread upon the waters and after many days, it will return." I'm convinced that this is not just a pretty little idea but a promise based on a sound principle.

People who talk about 'vibes' don't realise that they're saying the same thing. Those who delve into metaphysics suggest that we attract vibrations around us of similar magnetic frequencies to those we emit. I came across many of these types of science buffs at Uni. Pluck a guitar string and the corresponding string of a guitar across the room will also resonate. Put a whole lot of clocks into one room and their pendulums will eventually line up with each other. In many cases, these scientists don't realise that they're simply agreeing with what we find within the pages of the Bible.

The bottom line: We can't emit one of type of feeling (hopelessness, depression, fatigue, resentment, envy, fear) and attract the opposite (prosperity, contentment, peace, love, health, well-being). When we choose the weapons we want to use and the seeds we want to plant, we may be certain we'll see results in their proper time.