The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-26

Have you ever stopped to wonder how those closest to you would describe you to others? Specifically, those who are around us every day and see us in our best and in our worst moments. I think a lot of people wish that they would be described using the traits listed in this passage: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. I know I wish I could be the kind of person that would be described this way. The reality is, I’m nowhere near able to exhibit any of these characteristics for any extended period of time and with enough consistency for those closest to me to see me in that light. So, why is it so hard to consistently live this way even though that is how I want to live? I can sense those traits inside me. I can feel the desire to be loving, peaceful, kind, etc. However, they often get choked out by other things…..like selfishness, frustration, bitterness, anger, desire for justice, fatigue, indifference, etc.

My life is evidence that it takes more than just desire to consistently live a life full of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. There have been many, many times where I have vowed that I am going to be more patient, or kind, or joyful. Each time, I have succeeded to varying degrees from 10 minutes to 10 hours to even 10 days. But inevitably, that determination fades and I end up succumbing to the opposites (impatience, irritation, selfishness). So, there is obviously more to it than just deciding I am going to live out the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. I can’t help but think of sports and gardening to try and find the other factor(s) in connecting desire to end results. For example, I can desire to be a really good basketball player. However, if I regularly choose to watch tv, go fishing, take a nap, etc rather than committing to regular practice and conditioning, then nothing will ever happen. I’ll continue to wish I was a good basketball player, but I won’t be. If I want to grow a lot of good fruit and vegetables in the garden, I need to commit to taking care of the garden and the plants within it. Only then will I see the fruit ripen. If I just daydream about having a cool garden, and then decide to do something else rather than care for the garden and the plants, then all I will have is a weed patch.

From the sports and gardening examples, there are two observations that stick with me. First, success is not instantaneous. Rather, it is a result of time, discipline, and effort. In both cases you can’t just decide that today I will be a good basketball player, or today I will have a strong healthy garden. Instead, you get better and better over time as you continue to practice and work at it. Secondly, it seems like there are two competing forces that impact the connection between desire and actually bearing fruit: commitment to the work required vs distractions that drown out the commitment. Sticking with my own life, the desire is there, but the commitment and discipline to stick with the work is getting choked out by distractions, busyness, and selfish desires.

So, what are the things that we should commit to in our lives to gain a closer connection with the Holy Spirt and thus be able to bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives? On the flip side, what are the things in our lives that are distracting us from staying focused on bearing the fruit of the Spirit? What are the things that are choking out the desire? I need to spend some time asking God to help me understand that more for myself. That is probably the whole point of why God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit……to help us. The Spirit is the one that has all of these amazing characteristics. Rather than trying to do it all myself, maybe I need to ask God for help and then actually trust God.

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A Blessing from the Prisoner