This year, I made a choice not to make yet another New Year's Resolution that would disappear before February but to begin a journey to see if I could live a year by the fruits of the Spirit. For those of you who may not know what I am talking about, look at Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV). "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." I learned this verse many years ago (28 to be exact) and it has stuck with me ever since. Never before now, have I felt the need to live this out! Maybe it is living in a house with my 19-year old daughter who decided that she needed to move back home to go to college with the unspoken reason being she wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend... Yes, a little peace and kindness might be good here. Or, maybe it is dealing with the day-to-day challenges of living with a very independent five year old who seems to know everything...Oh yes, a little bit of forbearance (or patience) is in order here. Or, maybe it is that I need to lose about 40 pounds and I do not have the self-control to do it on my own! Regardless of the tipping point, the bottom line was I finally realized I can't do this on my own. Since the Holy Spirit is offering to me these fruits to partake of I really should stop saying "no"! So, I began my journey where each day I repeat the verse in the morning and then throughout the day as needed. Then I pray for the Holy Spirit to fill me with his fruits. I'm realizing that the hunger pangs can be pretty intense!
Take today...Who would have thought the first real hunger pangs I would feel were from young Charlotte. Charlotte is the "drama queen" of my three year old class at church. No kidding- today, little Miss Charlotte thought she should throw a temper tantrum that continued on and off for nearly 15 minutes. Yep, I called on the Holy Spirit with that one! So of course, I came home to my rather obstinate five year old challenging my request for him to clean his room. Ummmm, I think I have had enough forbearance for the day. Can we switch to another fruit, please? Oh don't worry, we like to get a balance. The clincher was when my daughter felt we were being unfair to cause her to end her "break" from school and get a job now when if she was still at college, she should still be on break. After gently reminding her that she chose not to be at college anymore and that she successfully gave up that break by giving up college for a semester then she would be working around the house until she finds a job or goes back to school. When the gentleness wore out, I finally told her to "Suck it up" and choose whether she wanted to be an adult or a kid because she couldn't have it both ways and she needed to stop whining about not getting a month and a half break when there were a bunch of kids out there working and going to school which she had not had to do. What did I learn when I finally broke down? Sometimes the fruits are not meant to be "eaten" together. Sometimes love needs to not be gentle and needs to tell it like it is. Maybe not a theological truism, but I believe that is the case. After all, I wouldn't make an apple pie with watermelon, so why would I use gentleness when the situation does not call for it...Maybe the rule will change as I continue on this journey, but I am realizing that sometimes only one fruit may apply! I am also realizing that love was probably first for a reason because almost anything done in love can be acceptable.
