Fruits of the Spirit

YOUTH SUNDAY is May 11th and the middle and high school youth have put together a lot of creativity, talent and more than a few of these Fruits of the Spirit to design a worship service for all ages.

Patience has been my most challenging fruit…not just with Youth Sunday planning, but most of my life. That is likely true for most of us in any given circumstance. But, Paul speaks of 9 Fruits of the Spirit in his letter to the church in Galatia: Love, Patience, Peace, Joy, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Goodness and Self-Control. They are not listed in order of importance, they are given equal weight. They are lifted up as virtues to which we should always strive.

In a recent trip to the grocery store we encountered an incident where an over-eager bagger loaded down one of my bags…and in his efforts, placed a bottle of laundry treatment upside down in the bag. When I arrived home I found the nozzle completely broken off and the grocery bag and the seat of my car swimming in an entire bottle of Spray N' Wash (c). You might imagine the string of frustration that poured forth when I discovered this dilemma…late in the day, still needing to put groceries away and get supper cooking. My sweet, precious child just looked at me and said with a great deal of JOY…"Mom, Fruits of the Spirit!"

Maybe I needed that reminder. While I recognized the sarcastic sense of humor she obviously inherited from me…it made me laugh. She pulled me out of my frustration and reminded me of Paul's admonition to exercise these virtues in all our affairs. It isn't always easy…but it is possible…sometimes we just need a little reminder.

I hope you join us for worship this Sunday to witness the good works our youth are doing in worship...and the gentle reminder of what we all should strive to achieve.

Blessings,
Tracy