The Law of Cause and Effect – The Law of the Harvest

By Doug Lange

There is an old Indian proverb that says, “Man who stands on mountain with mouth wide open wait long time for roast turkey to fly in.” If you want something, you have to do something to get it. Nothing comes to a person who doesn’t do his part. The job does not come to the person who sits by the phone waiting for an employer to call him.

The Bible teaches us that “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” The Law of Cause and Effect can also be known as the Law of the Harvest. Whatever you put out there will come back to you. If you put very little out there, then very little will come back to you. If you put a lot out there, then a lot will come back to you.

I teach in a private college whose niche market is those who cannot make it in a four-year college or university and we are their last hope for an education. Amazingly, a fair amount of these students will do the bare minimum to get by. They are happy with a D- because it is a passing grade. They come out of the class and out of college with a degree, but with no marketable skills. And, then they get mad at us because we can’t help them get the job they believe they should have. They are receiving exactly what they are putting into their education.

On the other hand, we have quite a few students who are very diligent in their studies, and we have an easy time helping them land a job in their field of study. They come out with marketable skills and a determination to do something better with their lives.

Every cause has an effect and every effect has a cause. Every decision has a consequence and every consequence is preceded by a decision. If there is a consequence that we are seeking after then we need to find the decision that will bring that consequence about and make it.

I believe in the scripture, “Seek ye diligently and ye shall find.” Diligently is the operative word here. What you diligently seek for, you will eventually find. What you half-heartedly seek after will come to you half-heartedly if at all.

An ancient prophet upon the Americas once said, “Do ye suppose that the Lord will [help] us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?” We all have the ability to think, to reason, to gather information and to make decisions. We all have resources available to us through family, friends, the community, and the government. Set the goal first of what you want to have or what you want to become. Then move your feet and start doing your part. As you do, the doors will open, your mind will become clearer and the circumstances will present themselves to allow you to accomplish your goals.

So, take a look at your life. Take a look at what you have and who you are. If you are not happy, then don’t stand there with your mouth wide open waiting for the roast turkey to fly in. Go and do! Go and get what you want and become who you want to be. It all starts with believing you can and then moving your feet.