The Spirit guides us to beautiful relationships

I’ve had an on-again/off-again relationship with the Fruit of the Spirit through the years that started when I was in 3^rd grade at Margaret Hill McCarter Elementary School. (I may not remember why I walked into the living room, but this is seared into my memory.) It started innocently enough when my teacher, Mrs. Thompson, gave us an assignment: If we had 3 wishes, what would we wish for? We were to draw a picture of our wishes, which would be displayed when our parents came to the Fall Open House. The best drawing by a boy & girl would be posted on the bulletin board.

I’m not very artistic, but I worked diligently on my picture. My 3 wishes were as follows: 

1. 1 million baseball cards, with a meticulously drawn picture of my favorite baseball card & player,  George Brett.
2. 1 million football cards, with a detailed picture of my favorite football card & player, O.J. Simpson.(Yep, I know.)
3. 1 million dollars & an imaginative drawing of what I thought a million-dollar bill would look like. (So, I could buy more baseball & football cards.)

Aside: 1 million was the largest number I could imagine; my Dad didn’t teach me about inflation until I was in 5^th grade.

As we walked into the classroom that Tuesday evening, lo & behold, my picture was on the bulletin board as the best drawing by a boy. I was mentally preparing my acceptance speech using my best Ted Baxter impression (“There are so many people I’d like to thank…”), when I noticed the best drawing by a girl: Tami. Tami was a member of my church, attended my Sunday school class, sang in the children’s choir with me, and, to be blunt, was my arch-nemesis. (You may think I was a tad young to have an arch-nemesis, but my worldview at the time was shaped by Superman & Batman comic books.) Her 3 wishes, written on pink construction paper & accompanied by hearts, stars, & rainbows, were simply “Love, Joy & Peace.”

My jaw dropped. As my friend, Scooby-Doo, would gloomily say, “Rut-Roh.”

I knew then that little Darren John’s life was not going to be the same. My mother wept for days. She asked, “’How could we be raising such a materialistic child, why aren’t you paying attention in Sunday school,” & on & on. My final argument, in my ultimately futile defense, was, “Who can even draw a picture of what love, joy & peace look like?”

Flashing forward to today, I would submit that we all can still struggle to describe a life of love, joy & peace. Yet, if we seek to be in relationships, be it marital or just friendships, with people who exhibit these qualities we know that we need to be striving to develop these traits in our own lives. How might we do this?

What if we viewed the Fruits of the Spirit as a chain reaction? We start with love, the basis of all Christianity. As we come to love God, as Jesus charged, with all of our heart, soul, mind & strength, we then can begin to experience a joy that transcends mere happiness. As our journey continues, we begin to experience peace when our intentions & our actions are in sync. As our love for God grows, we then start to follow Christ’s guidance with the 2^nd greatest commandment, “to love others as we love ourselves” & our love becomes directed outwardly and we begin to practice patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, & gentleness to our neighbors, friends, & family. After we focus on the needs & concerns of others, we can circle back & focus on our inner challenges & begin to enjoy self-control.

You’ll be relieved to know that my view of the Fruit of the Spirit has evolved over time. While these goals can still be elusive & challenging, I now wish to strive to exhibit these benefits of being in a walk with God a bit more each day. (And yes, I boldly pray that they could be demonstrated a million times over.)

PS: While my artwork has been lost to the vestiges of time, along with my critically acclaimed depiction of a Kansas wheat-field using only macaroni, spaghetti, & 8 ounces of Elmer’s Glue, I still treasure my favorite cards: