WHAT SHALL BE THE HARVEST?
“The field is the world,” and we’re all of us sowers,
And there’s coming a day in which all shall be mowers,
Or reapers, the rather; and therefore we need,
As we scatter each day, to look well to the seed. If a farmer desire a good crop of wheat,
He is careful when sowing, to guard against cheat;
He will winnow and sift, to get clear of the chaff;
For he knows it is folly to sow half and half. And thus should we all of us guard every day
Every act we perform, every word that we say,
Every thought of the mind; let us have but the kernel,
That shall bring forth good sheaves for the harvest
eternal. Our Saviour has told us, and that’s how we know,
We shall all of us reap just whatever we sow;
If we sow to the wind, we shall all, to be brief,
Reap a horrible harvest, a whirlwind of grief. If we sow to the flesh, when we thrust in the sickle
To reap, we shall wish we had all been less fickle;
A great crop of corruption is all that appears;
And we surely shall reap amid anguish and tears. If we sow to the Spirit—ah! hearken I pray—
We shall all in that otherwise terrible day,
Reap a harvest of life everlasting; oh! why,
To secure such a prize, will not every one try?