Have you ever wondered what type of fruit you are? I mean if I were going to be a fruit than I would want to be a strawberry, sweet with a little pizzaz!
Now this blog isn’t about what fruit you are because that would take a lot of time to explain and would it make sense? Probably not. This is about the fruits, but not just any fruits but the fruits of the Spirit. You know the ones we have inside of us from the Holy Spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are given the Holy Spirit and are filled with the fruits
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” -Galatians 6:22
Last month I kept going back and forth with the language barrier telling myself that it was okay that I didn’t understand everything that people were saying to me, and then later being frustrated that I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. I found myself longing for English speakers and whenever I found them being overjoyed that they could understand me and I could understand them.
If you know me well you know that I love to get to know people, help people, encourage people and ultimately know their hearts. So I thought coming into the race that I was going to be able to do this all the time. Except for the fact that in most of the countries I’m going to each one has a different language.
Yet, God is teaching me something very different than I have ever thought about before. One day last month when my teammate and I were having lunch with a family from the church, we were communicating in Spanish and English. A little bit of Spanish and a little bit of English. AS the day came to a close one of the people we were with came up to me and complimented me on being patient and kind. I was surprised by the fact that he just came right out and said it, I immediately thought about the fruits of the Spirit. The fact that when we have a relationship with Jesus that we are clothed with patience, joy, kindness, love, peace and all of the fruits of God.
It was a turning point for me in how I view the Lord, that he can work through us in the fruits to show love to others. Talking or sharing the Gospel isn’t the only thing that we can do to love on others because when we show others love, kindness and patience we’re showing them a piece of God. Ever since that day I have viewed the way I act and love differently. That God can minister through my actions and not just my words. Thank God for what he is teaching me because language is not easy when you can’t understand others and you desire to communicate.
You too have the fruits of the Spirit! So remember you aren’t just a strawberry but you are an orange, a raspberry, a banana, a grape, and an apple!
