When I was in eighth grade, my aunt gave me a handmade needlepoint. It shows a dove outlined in rainbow colors, and next to the dove is a verse from the Bible: “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith” (Galatians 5:22).
I’ve had the needlepoint it for almost thirty years, and now it hangs in my bedroom, right beside the mirror. I pass it countless times a day, usually without giving it a second glance.
Then one day, I found myself consciously pondering the words in a way I never had before. I realized that the needlepoint was an invitation, a chance to think about how true that verse really is. Where in my life do I find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faith?
An idea popped into my mind: I’d work my way through the list, focusing on one fruit of the spirit each day. I’d live that day with my mind open, alert to all the many ways that the virtue shows up in my life. (Though the Bible goes on to name two more – gentleness and self-control – I kept it to the seven on the needlepoint, one for each day of the week.)
Thus began my Week of the Fruit of the Spirit. And here’s what happened:
I found that these fruits show up in many little ways, even on an ordinary day. On Day One, I noticed love everywhere. My husband brought me a mug of coffee as I sat at my computer. My preschooler spontaneously said, “Mommy, I like to kiss you.” Looking at a photo of the dear friend I lost to cancer two years ago, I found myself feeling grateful for having known and loved her.
So many things around me – even tiny things – were evidence of the love that is and has been a part of my life.
I found that having a particular virtue on my radar meant that I did a better job of living it myself. When my boys wanted to do an art project on Wednesday – Patience Day – I stopped what I was doing to help them get out the paints, spread newspaper, and do all the other tasks required for the transformation of the dining room into an art studio. They loved it, and their paintings of rainbows and birds and ninjas brightened a rainy afternoon.
I found myself pondering what these words really mean. On my Day of Joy, I realized that I associate joy with rare, exciting events: the last day of school before summer vacation or a romantic getaway with my husband.
But joy can be subtler than that. I felt it when I was at the park with my boys and while I admired the vivid beauty of red Gerbera daisies in a vase. Moments of joy are present even in the quiet rhythms of an ordinary day.
I found myself thinking about the big picture. On Day Three (Peace), I suddenly thought about how lucky I am to live in a peaceful time and place. So many women live with violence, oppression, war. It was a reminder of something I take for granted and shouldn’t, as well as a reminder to keep the suffering of others on my prayer list.
Most of all, the week showed me that life is always better when we approach it intentionally. It is so easy to push quiet reflection off of the to-do list or to give its space to something more mindless and flashy, like TV or the Internet.
But if I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that taking time to pray about the events of the day is crucial to my happiness. This needlepoint reminds me that when I pause to look for the evidence of God’s presence in my life, I never come up empty. It’s always there, threading its way throughout the random moments of my day, just waiting for me to notice and be grateful.
Sharon says
This is beautiful! I think so many of us look at that verse and think, “Ugh! I don’t display ANY of these qualities! I’m such a failure!” Someone told me once that I needed to stop “striving” and remember that the verse says these are the fruit of the SPIRIT, not the fruit of SHARON. The Spirit is everywhere, hovering over us, and His fruit can be found everywhere, even within us, because He lives in us….not because of who we are on our own.
Ginny Kubitz Moyer says
I agree … what a relief to know that all of this is not dependent upon us ourselves! Thanks for the comment!
Julie Sunne says
“When I pause to look for the evidence of God’s presence in my life, I never come up empty.” Such truth. Thanks for the encouragement to be intentional with the time we’ve been gifted, Ginny.
Ginny Kubitz Moyer says
You’re so welcome, Julie. A few moments of quiet prayer in the evening points out so much about how God moves in our lives. Blessings!
heather m says
This was a wonderful reminder..! I love this needlepoint!!! So awesome : )
Our pastor talked about the fruits of the spirit a few weeks back and made the comparison to real fruit– it grows from a seed… you don’t just *poof* have an apple or a grape–it’s got to mature. So if we have just a seed of patience or love or whatever, it’s ok. Fruits take time to grow! Just like all these things take time to grow in us– it is easy to feel failure in the face of this verse, but once I started to look at it in that light, it made a difference for sure.
Ginny Kubitz Moyer says
Thanks for sharing that insight, Heather. So many great things grow slowly. Parenthood reminds me of that daily! And didn’t my aunt do a great job with that needlepoint?
glenda schock says
Thank you Ginny. This is great…for every day! GOD bless you!
Ginny Kubitz Moyer says
You too, Glenda! Thank you!
Holley Gerth says
I love your fresh new perspective on this timeless truth, Ginny! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Ginny Kubitz Moyer says
You’re so welcome, Holley — thanks for the kind words!
Beth WIlliams says
Ginny,
What a great perspective. It is not the “Fruit of Beth” but of the spirit. We must let the spirit work in us to produce those fruits. It can be hard at times to let those fruits shine through, but with God ALL is possible!
Blessings 🙂
Patricia Wolschlager says
I just subscribed to your posts a couple of days ago and I just love reading all your posts. I would always e-mail some of these posts to my daughter also so she could enjoy and she too loves them. She asked me to send her the information so that she could subscribe also. Thank you for all your beautiful posts!!!