Fruit of the Spirit

"And the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience[longsuffering], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control; against these, there is no law."

- Gal 5:22-23

So, my friend and I did a study of this Scripture last week, and as we searched Scriptures I really began to ask the Lord to fulfill this Scripture in my heart. I wanted to walk in this fruit to its fullness. Not just occassionally and inconsistently, but in a vibrant way that would characterize me. More than sign and wonders, I wanted His fruit. It was, and is, something that truly was stirred in my heart.

I suddenly became aware of every opportunity to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Instead of poison, I used kind words when insulted (to one degree or another), instead of five or six cookies I ate just one and I ensured that I was faithful in little things, despite my emotions. I was doing "great." And then came, well, let's call him Sammy.

Sammy is a sweet one year old little boy. He loves car, the swing and Mickey Mouse. He would be spending time with us during the days, while Mommy worked at night. Totally doable, right? Wrong! See, Sammy loves loves loves his Mommy (who said this is a bad thing?) and is very sad while she's away. So sad that he cries. A lot. All day. Everyday. I understand this, and therefore made every effort to comfort him. Prayed. Played. Hugged. Loved. Nothing worked! Day and two were feasible. Day three, I lost it. I seriously lost it. I less than behaved in a fruit of the spirit kinda way. And meanwhile I'm whining to the Lord, asking him for a serious dose of mercy, He gently yet firmly reminds me (and rebukes me) that I asked for fruit of the Spirit, and I was choosing to exhibit none. Yikes.

See, when we pray God doesn't just grant it to us, He gives us the opportunity to choose to behave in those things which we have asked for. With the awareness and the knowledge, His Holy Spirit kisses us with grace, the rest is up to us. Wisdom is having that grace to walk it out. I can't ask God to super-naturally give me patience to love on little Sammy. I know what it means to be patient, and I know what it means to love, so I can ask for grace to carry out that definition. See, life is a product of the choices you make with your time and your circumstances. Jesus opened the eyes of my heart to see the opportunity before me. I can choose to act less than godly (after all, Jesus said "You shall know them by their fruit"), or I can choose to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, regardless of how high pitched or long it is. Part of the fruit after all, is longsuffering...

What situation are you in that is developing the fruit of the Spirit in your life?