Rick Warren’s 11 Laws of the Harvest for Real Life Goals
Law #1: Everything starts as a SEED.
Your BODY itself is a SEED that will need to be planted in order to get more energy.
Your THOUGHTS about desiring more energy are also SEEDS that need to get planted in order to provide the actions necessary.
Law #2: Nothing Happens Until the Seed Is Planted
You can’t just complain about not having low energy. You can’t just “wish” for more ENERGY. You can’t even just PRAY for more energy. You have to PLANT THE SEEDS (i.e. show some action) to get more energy.
You must also realize that if you DON’T DO ANYTHING to plant more energy, by DEFAULT you ARE actually planting seeds of DECREASED energy. So the lesson is to do at least something.
Law #3: When I Have a Need, I Plant a Seed
Because I NEED (i.e. desire) more energy, I need to plant the seeds that will get me MORE energy— things like work outs, proper rest, and nutritious food.
It will also have to AVOID planting those seeds that will get me those things that COUNTERACT my efforts for more energy—sitting too much, not getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, over-caffeinating myself, eating junk food, eating too much food, eating too little of food, etc. If you feel low energy, start paying attention to what choices you have made that day that’s bringing your energy down. Putting 2:2 together is a big step!
Law #4: Whatever I Plant Is What I Will Reap:
I have to plant those things that actually produce MORE ENERGY to attain more energy. I can’t plant WORRY and expect to get MORE ENERGY. I can’t plant BUSYNESS and expect MORE ENERGY.
You might have to try some things out and monitor how it’s going. It might take a trial and error, but the power here is in the INTENTION of it. Try just one thing intentionally and see if it works! Monitor, adjust and keep going.
Law #5: I am not the Only Sower
I realize that I am living in some of the harvests that I did not plant. I might have entered into a world of chaos that affects my ENERGY. I might have “inherited” a tendency to worry and overanalyze, which drains my energy.
But I have the POWER to stop any inheritance that I do not want to pass along to others. I can’t control the past, or what other people do around me, but I can choose to create brand new legacy and example of energy management.
Law #6: I Always Reap In a Different Season Than I Sow
These results will take time, there is always a delay. I cannot expect instant energy from just one day of planting. You always feel LESS energy during the workout but you get a nice big boost after! Cutting back on sugar at first makes you feel low energy, but ultimately you'll have a much better energy balance than before!
You have to build up consistent effort to figure out what works and what doesn’t work. After some time, then I will reap the harvest of high energy that I desire.
Law #7: I Must Be Patient and Not Give Up
Because of the delay that we often see in our efforts, many people become impatient and give up. But not you! You realize that every great thing in life results from an uphill battle and you can be ready and willing to push through those times. You may have to lose some energy to gain some energy, and that’s a sacrifice that will be worth it if you don’t give up!
Law #8: I Will Always Reap More Than I Sow
This is the Law of Multiplication. I will get MORE out of what I put in. So if I want just small efforts for my healthy energy, I will get more energy than I invest. If I need to see bigger shifts in my energy, I need to invest more in the planting!
In the same way, there are small energy zappers that I could be doing that drain much more energy than I thought they would. Having my phone on in my bed? Hanging out with those friends who just pour out their troubles onto me? Repeating those worries in my mind without praying or giving them to God? All of these little things will reap and steal more energy than I think.
Law #9: I Can Always Increase My Harvest By Planting More Seeds
This is the 'Law of Proportion.’ All I have to do is start with some small acts in an effort to get more energy. If I find that they are working, I can just push those acts more and more and get more out of them! But there is no pressure to start BIG. I can always add more!
Law #10: The More Seed I Plant, The More God Will Give Me
God is looking for GIVERS to bless. Those people that are the most ACTIVE for the GOOD of others are blessed with LOTS OF ENERGY. God will bless me for those Good efforts by giving me more and more responsibility and need for energy. The more Ido for the world around me, the more energy God will give me to be able to do it all.
Law #11: I Plant by Faith, NOT By Feelings:
I will never ever FEEL like doing those things that will give me more energy. Many times I will have to plant when I don’t FEEL LIKE IT, but I’ll do it anyway because I know that’s the only way I get what I want out of life.
Planting by Faith means that I do things for the deeper reason WHY. When I cling to that reason and don’t detour on whims of emotion, I’ll get far more out of your goals and build my character too. It will pay off HUGE dividends when I sacrifice my immediate gratification for my greater investment down the road.
In short, we have to realize that the things that really matter in life, and having ENERGY is something that really does matter, even though it’s something that God wants for us to have, WE are responsible in just how much we invest and therefore harvest.
God doesn’t operate as just a “vending machine” where we think we just “put in” our part and “God’s part” automatically spits out what we want. A vending machine God does not build our heart or our character.
Our heart and our character are the “treasures” that we take with us to heaven. So it only makes sense that God will ALLOW US to “store up” those real treasures in heaven while we are also getting more out of the life that we are living NOW. What a gift that is! (Matthew 6:20)
It is an honor to get to work for the things we really want out of life. It is a privilege and it makes our reward that much more rewarding!
So, here’s to planting more energy for you TODAY!
