A couple of years ago my kids got me a GPS for Christmas. I gladly accepted the gift, though I recognized it as a subtle hint to their directionally-challenged dad. I knew my kids weren’t giving me the GPS because it was something I’d been asking for. They were simply tired of feeling frustrated after I traveled miles down a road I just “knew” was the right one.

It’s the same way in our lives. We all feel lost at times, as if we’re stuck on a long, dead-end road, wondering why we’re experiencing frustration rather than the fulfillment God promises us. In Galatians 6:7 Paul reveals the answer to Christians experiencing similar circumstances. He instructs them, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

In this text, Paul is referring to relationships.  He is telling the Christians that if they lived with a judgmental attitude toward others, they should expect the same treatment when they messed up. But if they would learn to love and empower people, they’d find that even the hearts of their enemies could be changed.

This is the exact principle God was trying to communicate to the Israelites by establishing the Feast of Pentecost in Leviticus 23. He commanded that this third feast take place seven weeks after the seventh Sabbath. Then at that time, each family would present an offering of new grain to the Lord. Through the institution of this feast, God was showing the Israelites their potential to reap an incredible harvest. But first, they had to sow.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Picayune, Mississippi, and heard one of the most amazing stories about a woman who clearly understood the power of this truth. She had struggled with drugs in her past and was watching her daughter make similar mistakes. The mother had come to Christ and had been living completely drug-free for some time, but became frustrated when her daughter wouldn’t do the same.

This frustration led her to discover the answer to her problem—the principle of sowing and reaping. Instead of condemning her daughter, this mother chose to make an effort to change the situation. She started a drug rehab center that quickly became the largest in the county and is now a required program by every judge in the area.  Her daughter attended the program, got freed from drugs, made a decision to follow Christ, and is now working alongside her mom as the vice president of the center.

It’s obvious this mother truly understood what the day of Pentecost is all about. She recognized that there are times we all feel lost and frustrated. But, if we’ll choose to sow generously into the lives of others in the midst of our situations, we can look forward to an incredible harvest.

So I encourage you to trust God in his ability to bring fruitfulness into your life. Don’t be deceived by your circumstances or pretend God’s promises aren’t true. Remember, what you sow, you will reap!