First Published October 11, 2017
Galatians 5:22-23(NKJV)
But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such
there is no law.
***
Recently a dear lady was laid to rest
after a short, but very intense bout with cancer. The ceremony was beautiful with hundreds
gathered, mourning the loss of Susie. Several multi-story windows in the church
allowed us to gaze into the blue sky with mingling billowing clouds, and an
occasional soaring bird. Truly it seemed like a heaven-sent picture.
Later on during her Celebration of Life
gathering, friends and family lined up to say a few words about the life of
beloved Susie; a life characterized by her dedication to her husband and
children, her community and charity work, and her hobbies. One common thread emerged: Susie exuded inner
beauty unlike many had ever encountered in a person. She was kind, good-natured, joyous, …the very
list of the Fruit of the Spirit.
No one disagreed. She was remarkable and
the loss was so painful. But what I
didn’t see in the nearly 33 years that I knew her was that there were two
main things that contributed to her inner beauty. The first thing was a given:
her faith in God and Jesus Christ. Only by Heaven’s Grace could she pray for
others, help others, be compassionate for others, accept others, and be joyous
through tough times.
Secondly, Susie’s Fruit did not appear from
feeding on the mishaps of others, but rather that fruit sought to plant seeds,
to allow all that knew her to continue to grow in love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And
this is what I learned from her absence. By His Grace I entered into faith, and
by my life I can grow in spiritual maturity, planting the seeds from the Fruit
of the Spirit. That’s Inner Beauty.
***
Dear Lord, Thank you for the moments
that I had with Susie and the lessons of faith reignited in my heart. I pray that my life will grow in the Spirit
and that others will see you as the seeds of that fruit nature. In Jesus’ name, amen.
