Does Your Mirror Reflect Fruit of the Spirit?

I spent a good amount of time working in the yard this week-end. The onset of Spring means there are shrubs to prune, leaves to rake, flower beds to weed, new mulch to put down and grass to mow. We live in a neighborhood in Central Arkansas with beautiful trees but when the leaves drop, the work must begin.

While raking, I was reminded of the work required to cultivate a garden or a flower bed. It doesn't just happen. You must till the soil, plant the seed, water the ground, weed the bed, look for sunshine, watch for bugs, pray for rain, hope for the best and prepare for new growth. It is an exciting endeavor but it requires work.

If we want the fruit of the Spirit reflected in our life, we must work at it also. It will not happen naturally. Galatians 5:22,23 tells us, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

As we seek to develop healthy relationships with our stepchildren, what better way than to show the fruit of the Spirit in all we do? But that is a tall order. Thankfully, we aren't meant to do it alone. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit to help us. As we yield to His guidance daily, we can demonstrate Christ-like character with those around us.

I want my life to reflect the fruit of the Spirit but I must stop and look in the mirror regularly to see how I'm doing. So over the next two weeks, I want to walk through the fruit of the Spirit one by one and look at how we can apply each one more effectively in our stepfamily relationships.

We start with love. See you next time!