Galatians 5:16-26
If you planted a garden today, you wouldn’t expect to walk outside tomorrow and find it overflowing with ripe fruit. Growth takes time.
It begins beneath the surface, often long before anything becomes visible. Roots develop. Shoots emerge. Leaves appear. And slowly, eventually, fruit begins to form.
Paul uses this image when he talks about the life of faith. He doesn’t just give us a list of things we are supposed to be. He speaks about fruit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Generosity. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.
We sometimes turn these words into a kind of spiritual checklist. Am I patient enough? Am I kind enough? Why don’t I have more joy? I really need to work on my self-control or gentleness.
And before long, the fruit of the Spirit becomes another way of measuring ourselves. But fruit isn’t something we manufacture by trying harder. Fruit grows.
A healthy tree doesn’t strain to produce an apple. It just grows as it is rooted, nourished, and cared for.
The same is true of us.
The question moves from: “What am I trying to become?” to: “What am I cultivating within myself?” because our lives are always growing something.
The things we give our attention to. The conversations we have. The people we surround ourselves with. The stories we tell ourselves. The habits we practice. The ways we respond when we are frustrated or afraid. All of these things are like water and sunlight for the soil of our lives.
And eventually, something grows. Sometimes it is beautiful. Sometimes it is something we wish we could pull out by the roots. That isn’t a reason for shame. It is an invitation to pay attention. If we notice that impatience is growing, we can begin cultivating patience. If fear has taken root, we can make more room for trust. If resentment has been growing unchecked, we can begin the slow work of forgiveness.
And if love, joy, peace, or kindness are already growing – even in small ways – we can notice those things too.
We aren’t called to become perfect gardeners overnight. We just need to become attentive to the soil.
Paul’s invitation is to walk with the Spirit, allowing God to shape what grows within us, and that takes time. There will be seasons when growth is obvious. There will be seasons when nothing seems to be happening. There will even be seasons when the garden needs pruning. But God is patient with growing things.
So this week, instead of asking yourself whether you are doing enough, try asking a different question:
What am I growing?
And then ask:
What would I like to grow more of?
Take some time to sit with the Galatians reading, and use the following reflection questions as a guide:
- What qualities or attitudes seem to be growing most naturally in your life right now?
- What might you be cultivating through the things you give your time and attention to?
- Is there something you would like to see grow more deeply in you, like patience, joy, peace, kindness, or courage?
- What is one small thing you could do this week to create better conditions for that growth?
Let’s pray:
Spirit of God, help us pay attention to what is growing within us. Where love is growing, help us nurture it. Where fear or resentment has taken root, meet us with your grace. Give us patience with ourselves as we grow, and teach us to trust your work within us. May our lives become fertile ground for love, joy, peace, kindness, and grace. AMEN