Breathe and take a JoyJoy moment. . .
I realize flowers don't produce fruit but for some reason I'm loving the imagery of a flower. As I studied my way through the Fruits of the Spirit in the SheReadsTruth app, I kept picturing this delicate, vibrant flower firm in its roots, unwavering in the wind, just this thing of gentleness and certainty slowly blooming more beautifully each day.
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self Control.
I'm fairly certain any woman would look at that list and desire to be a more patient mom, a kinder friend, a more joyful person, a more loving wife and maybe feel a twinge of discouragement and failure. We want to be like that delicate yet strong flower but don't know how. God has opened my eyes to so many wonderful truths in this study. I was literally crying my way through patience, frustrated through joy, convicted through goodness and self-control, I long to not only be nice and well-mannered but to be kind, to have this certainty in my heart of overwhelming peace, to shine the gentleness of Jesus, to be self-controlled everyday making every right choice. But ya know what, I'm not. I thought I was the perfect Christian growing up, I looked good on paper, college ministry degree, I was set but I was so wrong. I need Jesus every minute of every day in order to be producing those fruits.
The wonderful truth is I can't be any of those things. I can't produce those fruits on my own strength. I don't have the energy or sometimes the desire. I need Jesus. It's in the single choice of choosing to spend time with Jesus. It's in His presence where we find joy. When Moses spent 40 days with God, he left with a light shining off his face so bright he had to cover up with a veil. People were turning away because of the brightness. When we spend time with Jesus, that's when we shine joy, our hearts are calm and at peace, we are slow to anger and more patient.
Jesus said he is the vine and we are the branches, it's when we abide in the vine that the branches can bear fruit. Apart from the vine, the branches start to shrivel up and die. So many days we think we can do it on our own and yes we can do it on our own, but then we start feeling crabby with our husband, selfish with our time, impatient with our kids, rude to our neighbors, just tired and blobby, dull and lifeless. I don't know about you but I want to be FULL of life, full of joy; I want to choose ONE day to spend time with Jesus and then choose again another day and then the next, and slowly over time produce all those delicious fruits that only He can produce in me.
Let these words linger on your lips, one word at a time.
His delight is in the law of the Lord,
and in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams
of water;
which yields its fruit in its season
and its leaf does not wither;
and in whatever he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:2-3
It can be overwhelming to see the fruits of the spirit in list form and easy to feel defeated. I'm reading the book "Longing for Paris" and the author talks about feasting on God's Word, hearing Him, sensing His presence and really heeding the life He calls us to. Doesn't that image of the delicate, unwavering flower come to mind again? We want to be beautiful and lovely and strong and bold. We can determine each morning that today is going to be great and full of joy, but it's not going to be unless we're abiding in our true joy, Jesus Christ.
The wonderful truth is God longs for us to be beautiful and lovely and let all our gifts shine through, to enjoy beauty all around because it's pleasing to God if we're enjoying all the things He created. He made us to BE all those things, to BE who God made us to be.
I have a little sign up in my house to remind me of God's faithfulness, to remind me God is daily growing me to be who He created me to be, to produce fruit in me and it doesn't happen overnight. Put a reminder up in your house, put up LOTS of things to remind you of God's faithfulness or a promise fulfilled or His goodness to your family. I can go around my house and find several little reminders I've strategically placed in each room of when God answered a prayer or provided for my family or a lesson He was teaching me. It's a bundle of dried flowers from a walk or I have a special mug I use as decoration because it reminds me that Jesus is producing loveliness each day or a piece of driftwood I found at the beach when I found peace during a difficult season.
God asks us to have faith and to act in the faith He gives us each day then over time that faith grows and grows, and through those action steps He produces fruit.
What step of faith is God asking you to take today?
Share with us in the comments.
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