The nine fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
We don’t strive for the fruits of the Spirit, rather we plant ourselves in good soil, allow ourselves to be fed by the Holy Spirit, keep taking in nourishment, turn to face the light of Christ and these fruits will develop and grow in our lives.
Can you tell whether a tree is an apple tree or a pear tree? Not easily when they are in blossom, but very easily when they bear fruit. Bearing fruit takes time and a lot of planting, preparation, nurture and growth.
March is the time of year when gardeners begin to plant seeds ready for summer, but patience is needed – the seeds will take a while to germinate, and the gardener needs to write the names of seeds on labels and not forget which are fruit, flowers and vegetables. The seeds need to be in the dark, or the light, or the warmth or the cool, depending at what stage of life they are at.
So too, is God with us. God writes our names on His heart; God knows what fruit we can bring forth. God nurtures us and gives us light to grow. But first, we need to be planted and that can be scary.
Maybe you are feeling in a cold dark place this March, maybe it feels as if you’ve been buried, maybe you’ve got a weight above you and you can’t see the way out. Just think that maybe you’ve been buried because you’ve been planted.
With patience there will be warmth and light, be like a seed, trust God, and begin to grow out of the darkness towards God’s marvellous light. We won’t see fruit immediately; we have to be nourished and mature and ripen. Patience will be given to us, fruit of the seed of the Holy Spirit.