Hello friends and family! I just wanted to take a quick moment to say “Thank you” to my faithful crew for being so patient with me. (I’m learning to say “thank you” instead of “I’m sorry” which has a much more positive spin!) Obviously, I’m just starting to get into this blog. Oh my goodness, I have SO many cool things planned but being in lockdown, I have limited time to myself and I find myself being delayed, over and over again.
For example, I am writing the final installment to Called Aside about peace… I am determined to finish it but when I try to sit and just plow through my writing, a lot of words come out but I’m not really saying anything! *insert face palm emoji LOL* God is teaching me patience, in so many ways this year… I’m learning that the most important part of my life is walking in the Spirit. This affects every part of my day, especially my interactions with my family. My mom made a comment on my last Called Aside post that I wanted to share because it is SO true!
“Years ago I pondered why I didn’t have joy or peace in my life. Lying in bed one night I asked the Lord about this. His response was Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit. He taught me that night to ask myself this question, if the fruit of the Spirit is love and I’m not expressing / feeling love and I have the Holy Spirit within me, then what is inhibiting that fruit from being active? God gently reveals the problem, I submit, and love abounds. That sounds simplistic, but it’s not. Apply that to each of the fruit. I also learned that the fruit of the Spirit is a package deal. If I’m seeing I don’t have love, or joy, or… I’m also lacking in the others. Oh the blessed benefits of sweet surrender! Daily, hourly, every minute we have this choice. May the Lord continue to show us the way as we walk the steps He has for us.”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
~ Galations 5:22-25
I mean, how insightful is that??!! This has been something I am working on daily. When I feel anxious about writing my next post, or the other endless loose ends in my life, God whispers to me that the opposite of anxiety is PATIENCE! HIS patience! So when I am not experiencing patience, I need to come to God, with a submissive heart, and WAIT on Him! I need to pursue Him and have patience in anticipation of HIS words… When I am walking in the Spirit, His fruit flows through me and frees my soul from worry, even in the waiting. Even when I have no words of my own, and I don’t know which way to turn, His Spirit is always the answer:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
~ 2 Corinthians 3:17
I also want you to know, that if you are reading this, I am praying for you! Whenever I write or even ponder my next steps, I think of the kind people who take the time to read my blog posts, and I say a special prayer of blessing for you. I am so grateful to have this safe, supportive space to share my life and record my thoughts and memories for my daughter. God bless you for being here and know I’m working on so much more, and I appreciate you being patient! I echo my mom’s prayer: “May the Lord continue to show us the way, as we walk the steps He has for us.”
AMEN!!!
“The opposite of anxiety is patience!” That is definitely something that God had put on my heart to work on lately. It’s so difficult, yet I pray and am honest with God. He already knows my struggle, and I constantly find myself “re-giving” my worries to him as I work on patience in Him! Love this blog so much! I’m going to re-read it a few times because it’s so important! Thank you 🙏❤️
I am so glad this hit you the same way it hit me… and I completely relate to “re-giving” our worries to Him! I find it comforting that He understands our weakness and rewards us with His perfect fruits when we actively pursue walking in His Spirit. I am so incredibly proud of all you do in your life and the faith you have in God, thank you for inspiring me 🙂
Yes -walking in and bearing the fruit of the Spirit is the key to life ! Thanks for such a great and beautiful reminder of that 😎
Thank you, Dad! It is a reminder I need all the time! SO thankful for all you and Mom teach me 🙂
I love how we both cling to childhood lessons! I can’t tell you how many times I fall asleep reciting and praying for each of the Fruits of the Spirit when I can’t sleep. It really is true that as you “grow up” you continually go back to the truths you learned as a child. I find such hope and peace in this as my kids are now almost all adults and learning how to live on their own in this world. I can only hope that they will find the same treasures in their memories that I do!!! Thanks sister, mom and dad for always bringing me back to what is truly important!!!
Yes yes and yes! I often end up singing the songs we had for bible verses – a sure way they stick in your brain forever! This is a really humbling one for me as I often can see “wow, my attitude sure doesn’t look like the fruit of the Spirit!” So convicting but also so encouraging that I have the answer and can come to God, abide in Him and know He will abide in me as well.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comments – I really appreciate it! Love you, Sister! 🙂