fruit of the spirit... because sometimes you'd rather throw it than practice it...
The last two weeks of the year were slow. Slower than slow. A kind of slow that we haven't experienced in a long time. The work days drug on and the evenings seemed to last forever. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the slowness of the season. After all, Christmas is usually chaotic. But this year, the season was simple and incredibly relaxing for us, and the bad weather only helped to give us extra time to rest and rejuvenate.
Monday hit and I'm not sure what happened. I went from two weeks of too much down time to days so full of things to do that it looks like I may end up spending some of my weekend in the office. Last night was the first night in a long time that I brought work home. Fortunately, those instances are rare, but every now and then work requires more than 40 hours. This was one of those weeks. I bet you're nodding your head in agreement. At least, if you work with me you are. Every single person I've talked to this week has stated how busy they are. In fact, if you aren't busy right now, raise your hand. Exactly. From what I can tell, we're all busy. And let's be honest, when we get busy, it seems our goodness is the first thing to go.
Aaron and I had a discussion about the fruit of spirit right before the new year began. In a previous post, I mentioned that one of my favorite things about marriage is serving together. Another one of my favorite things about marriage is having faith talks. And these aren't little, "I love Jesus, you love Jesus..." discussions. These are those discussions that lead into the wee hours of the morning, cutting into our coveted sleep so that we end up pressing snooze a good dozen times before dragging ourselves out of bed into another sleepy day. But they are good talks. Talks about what God is teaching us, how we're being convicted and challenged. And we both agreed that this we could use vast improvement when it came to practicing the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (this is the fruit of the spirit - clap, clap)! And, incidentally enough, we have been given opportunity after opportunity to practice the fruit of the spirit lately.
About half way through day one, Aaron texted me and said, "It's going to be a long day. Pray for patience." But the truth is, sometimes we don't want to be patient. Sometimes we want to look someone square in the face and tell them exactly what we're thinking. We don't want to be gentle, we want to be blunt. We don't want to spread joy, we want to spread our personal opinions. There are times when gentleness seems like the wrong method. That maybe an iron fist would get the job done faster. And there are moments when it seems impossible to push any kindness through the dense feelings of frustration raising our blood pressure. Because sometimes more than practicing the fruit of the spirit towards people, I'd rather just throw it at them. And although we've gotten decently good at temporarily biting our tongues, we realized that maybe we're missing the whole point if we're occasionally practicing it rather than constantly practicing it.
Well, as we've been given opportunities, don't, for a moment, think we've learned this lesson. Oh no, every day we see where we fall short, and prayers of repentance are quickly offered up. But in an attempt to fight discouragement, I thank the Lord that each time I begin to feel less fruitful, He quickens my spirit so that I whisper a prayer. "God, help me to be patient... Fill me with kindness... Give me a gentle spirit...". Because I can't do this on my own. It doesn't come natural. I guess that's why he calls us to this kind of life. The kind of life that requires denial of the flesh, that requires help. The kind of life that we can authentically live only if we're truly walking in step with Christ.
And so, each time my first reaction isn't fruitful, I stop and pray. I ask for perspective, for forgiveness, for a different mindset, and for a change of heart. Because God isn't noticed in our natural reactions and responses. Rather, he's noticed in the supernatural. In the ways that aren't of this world. In the ways that aren't of the flesh. And I figure that intentionally trying is the first step to new ways. Ways that will develop if we don't give up or give in. Ways that will become more natural as we learn to better resist ourselves. And ways that are filled with mercy and grace from the Lord as we do our best to try and honor Him with each opportunity that comes our way.
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5
Monday hit and I'm not sure what happened. I went from two weeks of too much down time to days so full of things to do that it looks like I may end up spending some of my weekend in the office. Last night was the first night in a long time that I brought work home. Fortunately, those instances are rare, but every now and then work requires more than 40 hours. This was one of those weeks. I bet you're nodding your head in agreement. At least, if you work with me you are. Every single person I've talked to this week has stated how busy they are. In fact, if you aren't busy right now, raise your hand. Exactly. From what I can tell, we're all busy. And let's be honest, when we get busy, it seems our goodness is the first thing to go.
Aaron and I had a discussion about the fruit of spirit right before the new year began. In a previous post, I mentioned that one of my favorite things about marriage is serving together. Another one of my favorite things about marriage is having faith talks. And these aren't little, "I love Jesus, you love Jesus..." discussions. These are those discussions that lead into the wee hours of the morning, cutting into our coveted sleep so that we end up pressing snooze a good dozen times before dragging ourselves out of bed into another sleepy day. But they are good talks. Talks about what God is teaching us, how we're being convicted and challenged. And we both agreed that this we could use vast improvement when it came to practicing the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (this is the fruit of the spirit - clap, clap)! And, incidentally enough, we have been given opportunity after opportunity to practice the fruit of the spirit lately.
About half way through day one, Aaron texted me and said, "It's going to be a long day. Pray for patience." But the truth is, sometimes we don't want to be patient. Sometimes we want to look someone square in the face and tell them exactly what we're thinking. We don't want to be gentle, we want to be blunt. We don't want to spread joy, we want to spread our personal opinions. There are times when gentleness seems like the wrong method. That maybe an iron fist would get the job done faster. And there are moments when it seems impossible to push any kindness through the dense feelings of frustration raising our blood pressure. Because sometimes more than practicing the fruit of the spirit towards people, I'd rather just throw it at them. And although we've gotten decently good at temporarily biting our tongues, we realized that maybe we're missing the whole point if we're occasionally practicing it rather than constantly practicing it.
Well, as we've been given opportunities, don't, for a moment, think we've learned this lesson. Oh no, every day we see where we fall short, and prayers of repentance are quickly offered up. But in an attempt to fight discouragement, I thank the Lord that each time I begin to feel less fruitful, He quickens my spirit so that I whisper a prayer. "God, help me to be patient... Fill me with kindness... Give me a gentle spirit...". Because I can't do this on my own. It doesn't come natural. I guess that's why he calls us to this kind of life. The kind of life that requires denial of the flesh, that requires help. The kind of life that we can authentically live only if we're truly walking in step with Christ.
And so, each time my first reaction isn't fruitful, I stop and pray. I ask for perspective, for forgiveness, for a different mindset, and for a change of heart. Because God isn't noticed in our natural reactions and responses. Rather, he's noticed in the supernatural. In the ways that aren't of this world. In the ways that aren't of the flesh. And I figure that intentionally trying is the first step to new ways. Ways that will develop if we don't give up or give in. Ways that will become more natural as we learn to better resist ourselves. And ways that are filled with mercy and grace from the Lord as we do our best to try and honor Him with each opportunity that comes our way.
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5
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