A Life That Matters By Elisa Morgan
Look at the words. Just the words.
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.
When we focus on the words—just the words—that compose the classic fruit of the Spirit, we pause. Something stirs inside us. Loving? Yes please! Patient? Absolutely! They’re attractive qualities. We want them. We want them in us, and we want to reproduce them in our children, grandchildren and other circles of influence. We long for them in our days and our nights and in all the moments in between.
But how? They seem impossible, unrealistic to grow in our everyday lives, much less the lives of our little ones. After all, we’re not Mother Teresa or Jesus. We’re us. Women. On the run. In the trenches. Under stress. Many of us are moms and grandmoms. Some of us wives. Daughters making our way. How can we grow such qualities in ourselves or in those we love?
Growing a fruit-filled life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control seems beyond our grasp.
Why does something God invites us to experience seem so impossible to us? Maybe because we don’t really understand the meaning or purpose of spiritual fruit – and what role we play in fruit production? Maybe because we make the whole growing a life that matters thing harder than God intends?
I’m writing a book on spiritual fruit production called Fruitful Living: Growing a Life That Matters. I’d like to invite you and your voice into the writing because over the years, I’ve discovered that books are just way better when they contain not just my voice, but our voices. We help each other grow as we share our struggles and lessons.
Please consider taking a few minutes to answer the questions in the survey by February 21. As well, there is a place on the survey where you can give permission that allows me to use your words with your first name attribution only. (We’re all usually more comfy when we aren’t personally identified in print for our thoughts and feelings!) And go ahead and respond to the survey, even if you don't want to give permission for your comments to be used, there are some questions that will help me get a sense of how people understand the fruit of the Spirit.
And please pray as I begin writing?
May God lead us forward into the “fruitful living” he intends for us, growing a life that matters!
Elisa Morgan is the author of You Are Not Alone. She is the cohost of the podcast, God Hears Her. She is also the cohost of Discover the Word and contributor to Our Daily Bread. Her other books include Christmas Changes Everything, When We Pray Like Jesus, The Beauty of Broken, and Hello, Beauty Full. Connect with Elisa @elisa_morgan on Twitter, and @elisamorganauthor on Facebook and Instagram.
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