Fruity People

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Paul lists eight virtues that arise from the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance (meaning cutting lots of slack), kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I meet a lot of people who struggle with one or more of these. I struggle with not a few myself. These virtues are like fruit and fruit doesn't just appear on trees. Fruit takes time. Depending on the species, fruit begins as buds and flowers in the spring, followed by hard, sour, inedible fruit in the summer. Autumn at last brings the harvest. In winter the fruit is stored away. These virtues are like that too. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control don't just appear. God grows them in us over time. We should always seek them, but (as the bumper sticker says) be patient...God is still working on us.