The fruit of the Spirit is …

How many of us finish that sentence in our minds, our heads bobbing a bit to the song we learned as children? The verses overflowing with perfect harvests secure themselves into our memories even for those who accepted Jesus later than the Sunday school years (Galatians 5:16-26).

Most Sunday school teachers, though, forget to mention this truth: The fruit of the Spirit is not something we do, but rather something we receive.

How the Fruit of the Spirit Develops in Your Ordinary

Reading that passage in Galatians creates a list in our brains that, if we’re not careful, easily turns into a checklist of sorts. We scroll through the list mentally, wondering at how we failed so completely at acting out any of these characteristics.

But the fruit of the Spirit is just that — fruit of the Spirit. Not fruit of our nature. Not fruit of our Christian actions. For God gives us the fruit of the Spirit as a gift. Followers of Jesus receive these attributes through faith — we do not grow them out of our actions.

Yet we desperately attempt living out the fruit of the Spirit each day, believing the more we imitate that list, the more we’ll look like Jesus. These attempts reflect a backward way of thinking, though.

Imagine you decide to plant a garden this year without any experience and just a tidbit or two of gardening knowledge. Each day for a week, you walk out to your garden and play the gardener. You water the plants, fluff up the soil, pick weeds. Things you believe a true gardener would do. At the end of the week, you walk out to your garden and look for your harvest. Will you find one? Most likely not.

The fruit of the Spirit grows in our lives as a gift from God, not as a result of us imitating that list in Galatians 5, believing if we do the things we think God expects of us, we’ll produce a quick harvest. In fact, the fruit of the Spirit is not a list of “must complete today” actions at all. Rather, it’s a reflection of the character at work within us.

Nothing to Prove

We absolutely should see the fruit of the Spirit in the midst of our everyday. But this view doesn’t come from the other side of a courageous action or an outpouring of selflessness. We don’t have to prove we “have” this special aspect of the Christian daily life.

Our God has given us His Spirit to live in our midst. Understanding the concept of the Holy Spirit within our souls proves daunting and nearly impossible this side of Heaven. But He has given us a way to see Him at work, to see Him within our very lives.

His character, seen through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control — these traits dwell within us. These traits escape throughout our routine when we draw near to God each day. When we live by the Spirit.

The more we understand how God gives us these traits as a grace-filled gift, the more we understand we have nothing to prove. We can remove the burden of perfecting these characteristics through forced action, instead taking up the yoke of the Holy Spirit and His fruit.

The fruit does prove a measuring rod of sorts, though. If we reflect none of these characteristics, if we don’t see His love escaping our lips and actions daily, it’s time to seek some forgiveness and ask God to reveal the why behind His lack of fruit.

But fear not, dear friend. God desires to give you the gifts of His Spirit when you walk in obedience (and if you want a box full of tangible ways to do this, check out my growth box with resources to help you here!).

How the Fruit of the Spirit Can be Part of Your Everyday

Freedom abounds when we stop using Galatians 5 as our spiritual to-do list. Instead of living a routine bound by law, we live freed by grace. And through His grace — when we live by the Spirit — God grants us these beautiful characteristics.

The fruit of the Spirit develops in our lives not just for the grand moments of sharing the gospel or handling a conflict, but in the ordinary moments, too.

We see His love as we make breakfast for our family.

We reflect His joy when we sing to Him as we clean the house.

We feel His peace when restlessness from routine threatens to steal our joy.

You understand. The little moments reflect His glorious characteristics just as much as the “extraordinary” moments. Praise God He doesn’t expect us to grow this fruit on our own. Like a new gardener, we must spend time reading, learning, experiencing and talking with others. The more time we set aside for learning about the beauty of the Master gardener, the more our lives will produce a bountiful harvest.

What Now?

Take time today to write out how you see the fruit of the Spirit at work in your everyday. Finish the list started here, or grab a free copy of the designed list by subscribing below!