“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. . .” -Galatians 5:22
What a wonderful, glorious verse. A verse that gives a reason to worship. Those nine things are what I try to use as a key to living life. Whenever deciding if something is right or not, see if they reflect any of the fruits of the spirit. If they don’t, it might not be good for the safety of your heart and mind. I love this verse because those nine things are Jesus. Jesus IS love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; and all of those are HIM.
Love: The greatest of these is love, right? Love comes in so many different forms. I just really love love. I want to always be aware of all of the love that surrounds me everyday. It is always important to know that the love around you is greater than anything else around you. Giving love is an amazing thing too. Not to even mention God’s love. God’s love is GREAT, it is MAGNIFICENT, it is MERCIFUL, it is PEACEFUL, it is EVERYTHING. I am so very thankful for His love; SO very thankful.
Joy: Joy is probably my favorite besides love. People want to be around other joyful people. Being someone who sulks around upset at the world is no fun, don’t be that way! The Lord calls us to rejoice! There is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance!” (Ecclesiastes 3:4) Take those joyful opportunities you have throughout the day and be grateful for them- like when your favorite song comes on the radio, or when you do well on a test, or when you finish a book, or when your child learns something new. I could go on forever! There are so many joyful opportunities that sad things in life tend to get in the way of; don’t miss them!
Peace: Mmmmmmmmmmm. Peace! Peace is a vital part for anyone who wants to have a healthy mind’s day. For some, though, it is harder to find peace throughout the day than others. Make. Time. For. Peace. Whether it is setting your alarm for 15 minutes earlier, turning the music off when driving alone in your car, or reading the Bible and praying whenever you get the chance to; make sure it happens. Peace is lovely, and everyone needs it. Ever since I have created specific times for daily peace, I have felt better in my studies, my decision-making, my relationships, and I’ve felt calmer than ever. Thorough silence. It helps, I promise!
Patience: Oh this one is the hardest for me. Patience does not come easy for me, and if it does for you, well, bless you. I have gotten a lot better with Chance unknowingly helping me (I mean that in the best way possible). Patience takes a whole lot of practice. I am trying to learn to be a more patient person with everything I do. I love the idea of being patient, I just can’t seem to figure out the art of it. It is highly important to be patient, though. Patience grants respect and answers in due time. In due time. In due time. Personally, I think that is a dreadful statement, “in due time”, but that is just the impatient-natured side of me showing. Patience, though, will grant you respect and answers, which are vital in a successful life.
Kindness: I think that everyone deserves kindness. The act of it can get you very far, whether it is ordering at a drive-thru or going in for a job interview. I love seeing kindness. I love showing kindness. Kindness is fulfilling for the heart. It is so crucial in the good character of a person. Plus, people can’t turn away kindness. If you are wanting something and you ask for it in a kindly manner (and it isn’t harmful of course), 90% of the time, your answer will be yes. How hard would it be to tell a sweet guy who is just wanting a back scratch “no”? Ha. Also, the phrase “kill them with kindness”? Ring a bell? My mama is actually really fond of this one, she used to tell me that whenever someone would upset me at school (she actually is still telling me this; she did just the other week). Just remember – kindness is key people, kindness is key (in everything)!
Goodness: Goodness can be a whole lot of different things. There is goodness like the taste of a fresh strawberry after you’ve rinsed it off with cold sink water. There is goodness like when my little 4th graders figure out the answer they’ve been trying to find is. There is goodness like hugs from the people I love, and a different kind of goodness like lessons learned by people who I guess weren’t truly my friends. Goodness is everywhere. Remember not to get caught up in the bad on the news or anywhere else, and keep seeing the goodness that is always around, even when you think it is scarce!
Faithfulness: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1. Faith is such a beautiful thing to think about. Reading bible stories about how some characters such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and Joshua is one of my favorite things to do. Big faith moves mountains! Believing that there is a God and He has a wonderful Son that is our Prince of Peace, Jesus! Model your faith after the characters listed before. Hold steadfast that He is for you, just affirm your faith in Him. Faith can help make anything possible!
Gentleness: I believe gentle hands can sometimes do the best work. Gentleness is one of my favorite words. Side note: don’t you agree there is some form of simple gentleness most mothers seem to magically possess? I don’t know how they get it, but it is such a unique gentleness that no one else has seemed to master yet. I just think that is so cool and beautiful! I make it a point to strive to be more gentle everyday. Learning to be gentle is a hard task, but I am willing to do it. I encourage you, too! The world needs more gentleness, mainly from us women, in order to balance out all of the toughness and the roughness that surrounds everyone.
Self-control: Did I say patience was the hardest for me? Well, I was actually kidding. Self-control is very, very difficult. I think our flesh has a hard time saying “no” or “stop”. You are tempted every. single. day. to give in and abandon your spirit and sense of self-control. I pray for a stronger sense of it; praying is really all you can do. Well that and a little self-discipline. I highly respect people with a lot of self-control. It is so healthy for someone to be aware of their need for it in order to obey The Lord and follow His plan for them. Along with myself, I pray for you, also, that you will learn and develop the strength you need for good self-control.
“. . .Against such things there is no law.”
