Monday, May 16

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I like analogies. A good one can deepen and stretch our understanding of things that we assume we already understand. I read a great analogy (or more technically, a metaphor) the other day in the sports section of the newspaper. A writer described defending Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose as being like “a raindrop trying to defend a prairie fire.” I liked that one!

Think for a moment about the word “home.” All of us had – and have – a home, but not all homes are the same! If you had to come up with an analogy for the home you grew up in, what would it be?

A restaurant?

A hotel?

A school?

A courtroom?

A prison?

A bank?

A gas station?

An airport?

A barn – as in “your room looks like a pig-sty!”

All of these might work in one way or another as analogies for home. But the analogy I might like best would be “greenhouse.” It is the nature of living things to grow, and a home is a place where living things are supposed to grow and thrive in every way. From the marks on the wall that measure a child’s increasing height to the vehicles in the garage that morph from wagon and bicycles to mini-vans and first cars – a home is a place where people grow. Or at least it should be!

The question is, what are we growing at home? Are we growing fruit or weeds? Are we growing spiritually equipped and mature people shaped by the influence of the Holy Spirit, or are we growing perfect little consumers shaped by the values of our culture?

Paul tells us in no uncertain terms what God wants to grow in our homes. He writes,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.”

In other words, God wants to grow all nine of these spiritual qualities in every single one of us – and in every one of our homes! Think about that for a moment. I have often heard people ask questions like, “What is God’s will for my life?” And, to a large degree, the answer is right here. God’s will, God’s deepest desire, for each one of us is that we surrender our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit so that our lives will increasingly reflect all nine of these qualities. That’s it. That’s what God wants for me and that’s what he wants for you. And I believe that’s what he wants for our homes!

Take a few moments to thank God for the work of his Holy Spirit in your life and to commit yourself and your home to becoming a place where the Fruit of the Spirit grows!

Brian Coffey