What You Sow Today Shapes Tomorrow

Many of us grew up opening wardrobe doors a little slower, just in case they might lead to a snowy Narnian forest and a waiting lamppost. The stories of C.S. Lewis planted in us a beautiful ache: the yearning to enter something greater, something eternal.

That longing doesn’t vanish with age it simply shifts. We think, “Won’t it be amazing when I graduate?” “When I’m married?” “When I finally land that job?” We imagine the “next thing” as the thing that will finally satisfy us. And while many of those dreams are good and godly, C.S. Lewis invites us to ask a deeper question: Are we becoming the kind of person who will be joyful, no matter where we land?

Because the truth is, the joy we seek in the next season depends far more on who we are becoming now than on where we find ourselves then.

Edmund and the False Promise of Arrival

Lewis gives us a sobering example in Edmund Pevensie. Most of us think Narnia would be magical from the first step. But Edmund’s first experience is miserable. Instead of discovering wonder and wisdom, he meets the White Witch, gorges on enchanted Turkish Delight, and becomes entangled in a path of betrayal and bitterness.

Why? Because Edmund was already becoming that kind of person long before he stepped foot into Narnia.

He was resentful toward his siblings, cruel to his sister Lucy, and consumed by selfish ambition. The wardrobe didn’t change him; it simply gave his sin more room to grow. As Lewis reminds us throughout the Chronicles of Narnia, every world even one filled with fauns and talking beavers will be miserable if we arrive with a miserable heart.

We Are Always Becoming

Lewis writes in Mere Christianity, “Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.” That “one state” is either becoming more like Christ or more opposed to Him. Every choice shapes us. Every action, thought, click, or word is a seed planted in the soil of our souls.

This is precisely Paul’s point in Galatians 6:7–9. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

There is no shortcut. No cheat code. We are always sowing into our flesh or into the Spirit. The habits of today become the harvest of tomorrow. As one theologian said, “We are what we repeatedly do.”

If we sow envy, pride, or laziness now, we shouldn’t expect to wake up joyful, fruitful, or holy tomorrow. The trajectory of our character determines the quality of our future.

Who Are You Becoming?

Ask yourself:

• Am I allowing small compromises now that could grow into significant failures later?

• Do I harbor bitterness or self-pity that slowly poisons my perspective?

• How do I treat others, especially when I’m tired, stressed, or unnoticed?

• Am I training my soul with acts of discipline and devotion or indulging habits that subtly deform my heart?

And what about our digital habits? Recent studies show the average adult spends over 7 hours a day on screens. That’s nearly half of our waking life. What are we sowing during that time? What seeds are we planting when we mindlessly scroll, binge, or browse?

None of these questions are meant to induce guilt. Instead, they’re opportunities for repentance and redirection because the good news of the gospel is that failure is not the end of the story.

Redemption in the Soil

Edmund’s story doesn’t end with betrayal. It ends at the stone table, where Aslan takes Edmund’s punishment and redeems the traitor. Edmund is restored, transformed, and made into a noble king not because he earned it, but because mercy triumphed over judgment.

This is the hope for every one of us.

Jesus reaps what we’ve sown. He took on the harvest of our sin and death so that we could reap life, joy, and freedom in Him. Because of the cross, we can start sowing new seeds right now, in this moment.

Don’t Grow Weary

Paul’s encouragement continues. “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

The hardest part of sowing is that it often feels thankless. It’s easier to follow our impulses than to resist them. It’s easier to scroll than to pray, easier to lash out than to forgive, easier to drift than to disciple our kids or serve our spouse.

But the promise stands: We will reap.

Galatians 6:9 is not a suggestion; it’s a guarantee. For those who sow to the Spirit, for those who keep showing up with mustard-seed faith, for those who labor in the soil of ordinary obedience God will bring a harvest.

So the question is not just, What will happen if I walk through the wardrobe? The deeper question is, What kind of person will I be when I do?

Becoming Someone Worth Finding

What if the most important work you’re doing isn’t out there in some imagined future, but right here in your present choices, habits, prayers, and sacrifices?

The wardrobe moments will come. The doors will open. You’ll graduate, get married, land the job, or start the ministry. And when that moment comes, it won’t be the circumstances that make or break it.

It’ll be the heart you bring with you.

So sow to the Spirit now. Cultivate humility, confession, joy, and courage now. Plant seeds of patience and self-control. Feed your soul with Scripture. Starve your pride with daily repentance. Love your neighbor, especially when it’s inconvenient.

Because when the wardrobe door swings open, and Aslan is on the move, you’ll want to be someone who runs toward the roar not someone who trembles in shame.

You’re always becoming someone. Let it be someone who’s ready.

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