Is Life Just a Bowl of Cherries?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

Have you ever thought of yourself as a piece of fruit? Now, stop laughing and really think about it. In Gods eyes, we're just one big, gigantic fruit bowl!

Paul speaks of the Fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians. He makes it very clear that all of these great gifts of the Spirit are pulled together to be just one Fruit, not individual section or slices. In essence, you have all of them working in YOU at the same time, none better than the other, they are given specifically to work together always, in our hearts and in our lives.

So, what kind of fruit are you? I picture this huge, perfectly ripe bowl of fruit laid out on a banquet table before our God. Each fruit represents something very special. Lets revisit the Fruit above and apply it to the abundance of goodness He gives us each day.

Love: Think of cherries; a whole bowlful of them, bursting with luscious color and showing whole lot of love as each one is enjoyed.

Peace: How about a banana? When its perfectly ripe, it tastes so wonderful and can bring a smile of peace and contentment to the sourest of hearts.

Joy: Grapes! Lots and lots of grapes. An abundance of them, each sweeter than the next, filled with joy. They come in many colors and variety, just like the many joys in our own lives.

Patience: A huge watermelon; just think of how long it takes to grow one and the reward when it is finally done growing. All of that patience is worth waiting for!

Gentleness: Sweet Georgia Peaches here. On the outside they are a little fuzzy and soft, and the inside is just as sweet and filled with lots of tender flavor, gentle on the tatsebuds.

Kindness: Lets bring in a Kiwi, shall we? A funny little fruit, and even though it is small, it packs a powerful taste; sort of how an act of kindness does, especially when unexpected.

Self Control: A bright orange comes to mind. Think of how you sit and peel, and peel, and peel the outside to finally receive the burst of color and juiciness on the inside. This can be the most difficult fruit of all to eat, but it's worth every second of waiting and self control for the skin to be peeled away to receive the gift that awaits you.

Goodness: One of my favorites: Mango! When it's ripe with perfection, you can just open it up and scoop out all of the goodness that awaits you; luscious and filled with just a little tang.

Faithfulness: Couldn't resist throwing this one in: an apple. No matter what the condition, it will grow. No matter how old or new the tree, apples still grow. They grow strong and sturdy and are always faithful to reproduce more apples year after year. Faith should always continue on, no matter what the circumstances.

As you can see, there are no lemons or persimmons in this bunch. Each fruit takes its own time to grow to perfection and the abundance, flavors and taste can satisfy everyone. Fruit can only grow with light and water provided from our Maker above. Prayer is needed to make it complete and praise is offered when it is ready to be received.

God is our gardener and our bodies are the clay bowls He fashions in which to serve His Fruit of the Spirit every day!

So, again I ask, what kind of fruit are you?

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Contributed by Diane Check: calvarycheck@comcast.net Diane has enjoyed writing short morning "thoughts for the day" for associates at her insurance company for the past few years. She lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with her husband and son. Visit Diane's Web site.