Fruit

When I was younger, I observed the evidences of Christ in the lives of my parents and desperately hoped I would one day be the same kind of light for my own children. No, my parents weren't perfect. They just possessed authentic faith in a God big enough to handle anything. I'm so thankful that I grew up with this kind of influence.

As a young mom, I find myself thinking about my parents more and more...wondering how they handled different situations. One day last week was particularly difficult for me as a parent. The morning routine was extremely hard, Jacks had a rough day at school, and he threw a tantrum after school that left me contemplating as we walked to our car (30 minutes after school--and the tantrum--ended), "Is it possible to survive motherhood with an ounce of pride in tact?"

I won't recount all of the details of that day because it would just be tiring to write--and read. I will tell you that over and over I kept saying to myself and others, "I just don't have the patience for this stage of independence." It really is a beautiful stage in the life of my little man (and most two-year-olds on the planet); it just lends itself to frustration when leaving the house--or anywhere--quickly is your goal.

A sweet friend of mine encouraged me by telling me how she makes it through the days that she has to get both kids and herself ready to leave for "school". She also has an almost three-year-old in the same stage of blossoming independence. She encouraged me to wake up early, have a little time to relax and spend time in the Word, and be collected when Jackson wakes up so that I can better deal with the morning routine.

The very next day, I decided to try out my friend's method of keeping her sanity. It was not easy to get up earlier than usual, but it definitely paid off throughout the day. Something I read that morning really got me thinking, and I have not been able to forget about it since.

Rosemond says be persistent and don't respond to whining. Remember also that patience is a Fruit of the Spirit. He also suggests focusing on the positive aspects of toddlerhood by reading his book, Making the Terrible Twos Terrific! (Andrews & McMeel).

Hopefully the solutions you choose will reflect to your little one the love and discipline of our Lord. It might help to remember just how much grace He bestows upon us when we misbehave.

The biggest thing that jumped off the page at me from that was:

Remember also that patience is a Fruit of the Spirit.

Wow.

No wonder I can't come up with any patience. I'm trying to find it on my own or hope that my child will behave in such a way that I won't have to exercise any. Really?

I CAN'T come up with patience on my own. It is a Fruit of the Spirit. If I'm not abiding in Him, I'm NOT going to bear fruit. If I'm not abiding in Him, I will NOT have patience. End of story. My life is not without God, but am I making a daily effort to be FILLED with His Spirit? No. If I'm being honest, I'm not. If I want to have patience and be effective with my child...reflecting the love and discipline of our Lord...I've got to wake up each day and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Many of us know the song..."For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control...."

Are you lacking love?

Joy?

Peace?

Patience?

Kindness?

Goodness?

Faithfulness?

Gentleness?

Self control?

If you are a Christian, you have the Power in you to possess each of these. If you are not a Christian, Jesus paid the price for your salvation and is waiting now for you to accept His free gift.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

I'm so thankful that we serve a God who looks after all of our needs. He cares about young mothers and loves us deeply. He knows we are short on patience at times and wants us to trust Him with even the smallest details of raising our children.

I do admire my parents and how they raised my siblings and me. Instead of focusing on how they handled different situations and hoping to mimic them, I'm looking to their example of living a Spirit-filled life to make it through parenting. It's not about perfection. Not even close. It's about a daily request to be filled with the Spirit.

You will bear MUCH fruit!