When the leaves wither and fall to the ground each year, so do the seeds that contain the power and promise for new life. In the same way, God uses the things that fail, frustrate, and disappoint us in the present as seed for the eternal future he has planned for us. This week we see how God’s children sow sacrifice and harvest reward. Only those who are solely responsible for taking care of themselves must fearfully cling to their material possessions. Those who know they have a generous Father in heaven are freed to be generous with others. As we give generously and even sacrificially to others, our hearts are pulled away from earthly riches to the eternal reward earned by Christ’s generous sacrifice for us.