The Fruit of the Spirit





But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:22 (New International Version - UK)


One day I decided to play a little game...and teach a little lesson at the same time. I made a paper basket. I made fruit shapes in appropriate colours. I called them love, joy, peace, patience...and so on.

"Come and pick a fruit," I called. "We will ask Jesus to help us to show this character quality to others today."

We had a lovely time...I was very pleased with myself for teaching something of lasting value.

Dinner time.

Emilie hops up to the table... she eats a grain of rice...Emilie hops down from the table...Emilie hops up to the table...she eats another grain of rice...Emilie hops down from the table...Emilie hops up to the table...she eats another grain of rice...Emilie hops down from the table...Melissa hops down from the table...Emilie and Melissa hop up to the table...they eat a grain of rice each...they hop down from the table...Emilie and Melissa hop up to the table...they eat a grain of rice each...they hop down from the table.

Lorna is not happy.

"WILL YOU SIT STILL AND EAT YOUR DINNER, GIRLS," she says.

Tear filled little eyes...quivery little lips...gaspy little breaths...

"Wh...wh...wh...what fruit do you think Jesus would like y...y...y...you to take and learn to sh...sh...sh...show others, mummy?" whimpers Emilie.

Game, set and match...Jesus, Emilie and Melissa.

"I think it would need to be patience and kindness, Emilie," mummy concedes.

The moral: be very careful when playing a game with a moral...it may just sneak up and bite you.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Galatians 5:22 (The Message)

No Man (Woman or Child) is an Island

Continued...

Teen - age culture invaded our world.

No games nights at school...but Disco's...where little girls had competitions to see how many boys they could kiss in a night.


5 year olds singing "Do you want to be my lover?"

Blatant sexuality packaged in pink - of course in this particular picture it is wrapped in black leather, which is not so poetic...darn it.

It may seem archaic, but I wanted to preserve your innocence a little longer...I wanted to read stories of honour and valour...I wanted to learn and to live a more simple life together.

However, there is no such thing as a perfect environment..."life" seeps in under the cracks in the door. I may have protected you from some influences...but I'm not so proud as to think myself flawless...I could not protect you from myself...I wasted time on the unimportant...I made mistakes, some more significant than others. For all that I am sorry. But I don't regret one single day of the life we made together during those years.

We are a strong unit, we learned many lessons - some of them from books, and we lived to tell the tale.

I am glad that we had snow days, and "bad" days, and a spell in Hungary. I am glad that we were obsessed with Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, and the West Wing. I am glad that we went bonfire making on the beach (with a person (!) not talented in the art of fire-making), that we did "school" wherever we found ourselves (in foreign lands, in hospitals, in my bed), and that we made up a funny song in French.

We have lived an interesting, and different, and good life - thus far.

Jolly well done, I say.

No Man (Woman or Child) is an Island

What was going on in culture was also a factor...

This is a picture of the P1 class from Dunblane Primary School...most of these children were killed when a deranged gun-man walked into the school, opened fire, and shot them...

In the aftermath schools, very understandably, locked down...like prisons.

This did not happen in some far off country...but on our very own doorstep.

Emilie was the same age as these children...it was too close for comfort; I was frightened.