Sow an action and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny. I found this quote while I was reading the book "Making the Most of Your Mind" by Stephen Doughlass, and it is a quote that has stuck with me. This is something that appears to be true to everyone but is shrugged off and not given a second thought. Tonight it hit me, that one sentence, or action could alter the course of your life or the life of someone else for the good and for the bad.
There is a quote out there that everyone knows, "actions speak louder than words" and to a big extent I agree. I also have to say, your words sometimes pave the way for your actions. It is really funny how you can do a million good things and you mess up one time and you can be ruined. Not justifying a bad action because of all the good actions. This is why Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 says, that we need to be careful of how we act around our peers and others, as we are with God. We must constantly be watching ourselves in what comes out of our mouths and how we act upon certain feelings. Depending on how we act in the shaky situation will more than likely be that moment of when someone will judge our character.
A thought came to me the other day that our true character is shown when we are tested. This meaning in the good and easy moments it is easy to have a good character. The part where your character is put to the test is when it is tested. Look at people in the heat of the moment, Cain killed Able, Peter denied Jesus, David slept with Bathsheba, and Judas sold Jesus. Because of this Cain ended up leaving his family and being a wanderer for the rest of his life, and Judas ended up killing himself. These are two examples of how one moment can change your life completely.
Look at people in the past, what if Martin Luther never said his famous words "I have a dream" or if Patrick Henry never said "Give me liberty or give me death". How different would the United States, the world be if it had not been for those moments? Or what if Saddam Hussein never said "Long live the people, long live the nation, down with the invaders, God is great, God is great!". He may not of convinced his people to fight the Americans. A moment in life, words, actions, can very well shape the path of your life or the life of someone else. I had a friend one time in High School who decided to get high before he drove to School and ended up wrecking and killing someone and now he is having to live with the fact of he killed someone.
We must be careful of the words we speak and the actions we do because we are the body of Christ and we are supposed to reflect Christ. We want are words and actions to help shape for the good in someone's life and not destroy it. When we speak life then life will be brought fourth, but when you do the opposite then the life cannot be brought up. God is truly pleased with us not only when we repent and receive the Holy Ghost and are baptized, but also when we live our lives as true Christians and reflect His holy name.
