My Smoky Mtn. Homeschool - Good Fruit...Bad Fruit

September 1, 2005

Good Fruit...Bad Fruit

As I watched my children play outside today, I was filled with a sense of great joy and pride. How awesome that God granted me worthy of such an awesome responsibility. He has enough faith in me to care for and raise these three beautiful children. But sometimes I wonder. Do I really have what it takes? How can I raise these children and guide them to be what God wants them to be?

Then I wondered. Does God feel that way when He looks at me? What have I done to make him proud of me? What have I done to bring Him great joy?

I remember driving in the van one day, on the brink of tears (no, wait. I was crying) from sheer frustration. I was frustrated because one of my dear sweet children (whom shall remain nameless) would just not obey me. If I said come, she would go, if I said sit, she would stand. She colored on the floor and the walls. She was doing things that she knew she wasn’t supposed to do. This particular night I was driving home from my mom and dad’s house. I was upset and discouraged about my dear daughter’s behavior that day. I told her that I didn’t understand why she kept doing these things over and over when she knows not to. I told her how it made me sad when she didn’t obey me.

Suddenly, God spoke to my heart.

Now you know how I feel when you continually do things that I ask you not to do. You feel the sadness and broken heart that I feel when you don’t obey My Word.

Wow! Talk about a jolt! Surely, I didn’t act that way in the eyes of my Lord. Did I bring him sadness with the things that I did? Was He frustrated and tired of telling me the same things, over and over again? I felt so inadequate as a mother, but grateful that God had been patient with me.

So, what could I do? I prayed:

God, please forgive me for the times I don't obey Your Word. Thank you for Your patience in dealing with me. Please, give me the same patience with my children. Let me display to them the same love and mercy You show me each and every day. Let me love my children the way you love me. Help me to be gentle, patient and kind.

Now, I *try* to be patient and gentle with my children, (Notice I said *try*) because I don’t always succeed. In fact, most of the time, I fail miserably in this area. It is something that I must work on each day.

So, how can I have gentleness and patience?

I know, I know, these are Fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) How does one obtain these ‘fruits’? Perhaps God already gave me mine and I ate them! No, seriously, the Bible says:

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." ~Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV)

So, I ask, if I do not bear these fruits of patience and gentleness, does that make me a ‘bad tree’? Sometimes I feel that way. The Fruit of the Spirit in our lives affects everything we do and say and the way we rationalize things; without it, everything is affected by sin.

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“So, I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature… those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” ~Galatians 5: 16;24-25 (NIV)

How can we ‘walk in the Spirit’?

The indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to walk daily with God (2 Cor.3:17-18). Walking in the Spirit involves three steps:

Recognize the voice of the Spirit (John 10:27).
Obey the promptings of the Spirit (Acts 13:2-3).
Receive the enabling of the Spirit (Jude 24).

As you keep your focus on the Lord each and every day, walking in the Spirit becomes a daily experience enabling you to bear ‘good fruit.’

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Comments

September 1, 2005 - Untitled Comment

Posted by drewsfamilytx

I really needed this, especially as I'm bracing for the final start of our new school year on Monday. I will pray for you Amy Beth, please pray for me too!

~Marsha

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September 3, 2005 - Wow, thanks for sharing this.

Posted by Anonymous

Hi Amy,
Thanks for sharing this with us. It spoke to me so much. I have been feeling the same things lately. I have a ds who is so much of a struggle for me daily and I often compare my relationship with him and then my relationship with God. I find that I might look exactly like a 3 year old to God! I fall so short of what He wants me to be and I'm so thankful that He's there as a loving Father to hug me when I come running back to Him. I wish that I could be just as loving and forgiving to my kids, I'll keep working on it though! With God's help I'll get closer!

Hugs,
Jen

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