Sow Love Reap Love Digital Cartoon

It’s really that simple.

I’ve seen it in families, churches, and on a national scale.

Sow hate, reap hate.
Sow love, reap love.

I believe in the better angels of our nature. But we also possess darker impulses.

We can love, be generous, and gentle, or we can hate, be greedy, and violent.

If leaders foster an atmosphere of hate, greed, and violence, this is what the community will feel like. If bullying is rewarded with publication, praise, and prizes, and love is scoffed, ridiculed, and punished, our instincts will struggle to not conform to the communal trend just to survive.

I went to help in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. I was alarmed by the differences between survivor camps. In one, the leaders were corrupt, greedy, and cruel, showing favoritism to their friends and punishing those who protested. That camp felt dark, dysfunctional, depressing, and dangerous.

In the neighboring camp, the leadership was totally different. They were kind, generous, optimistic, and open. The camp felt happy, helpful, functional, and safe. Its residents were joyful, hopeful and equal. The happiness was infectious. We knew they’d heal quicker, and they did.

One camp sowed hate. The other, love. You could feel the difference.

I learned there that leading by love works for the health of the community and its members. Sow love reap love.

This is why I do community the way I do. When we in the nakedpastor community exude love, joy, generosity, gentleness, kindness, inclusivity, openness, mutual respect and care, the community feels it. It’s tangible. These are our treasured values. Our ethos. We love and protect it. It feels good.

Sow hate. Reap hate.
Sow love. Reap love.

It’s really that simple.