The Fruit We Bear

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luke 6:43‭-‬45 KJV

I had an encounter with someone, not too long ago – someone I know, respect, love… And, I was taken aback by this individual when they began to speak in a hateful manner.

Now, please hear me. I’m not perfect, I make mistakes, and I don’t always speak the truth in love. I’m guilty of not always displaying the love of Jesus. Which is why this particular conversation with this individual impacted me to a greater degree than I have the words to express. Because sometimes, this is me.

When we speak that which is in our hearts – our speech has the ability to betray us, expose us. Especially when what comes out of our mouths is not aligned with what/whom we profess to be, nor in line with the Word of God. On the flip side, what comes out of our mouths can prove God dwelling in us.

You can tell the heart, what’s in the heart, of anyone based off of what they say, how they say it…

Communication is comprised of words we speak, our tone of voice, and our nonverbal communication. Paul speaks about speaking the truth in love, in Ephesians 4:15. This means not just what we say, but also how we say it. A fruit of the Spirit I pray for daily is patience. While I may communicate the truth, I have a knack for lacking patience at times. Honestly, when this occurs, it really does not matter what I have said to anyone – be it a compliment, expression of love, etc.. When what I’m saying does not come out in love and the tone and my nonverbals are at odds with my words.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a mom to 3 teenagers. This comes with attitudes, sometimes on all of our parts. One night, after saying their goodnights with me, I overheard my children apologizing to one another for saying hurtful things, having attitudes, hurting each others’ feelings, etc… I couldn’t believe my ears! I was brought to tears and it both humbled and convicted me. There are times when I’ve been guilty of saying, “I’m sorry and _______.” Which is really an “I’m sorry but _____.” However, overhearing my children both apologize and forgive one another was such a wonderful sound to my ears. They sounded genuine, sincere. They understand the lesson of not allowing the sun to set on their anger, and also, the importance of forgiveness – releasing debts, and seeking forgiveness.

It was a valuable lesson for me to learn.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

*Original Image by Yours Truly 🤍🌸