Today my mind has turned to the Fruits of the Spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Long suffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Recently I received a message without a greeting or an ending (oh it wasn't rude, but it wasn't very personable either). I thought to myself; "why bother to even send me that?" I began to think about how that person could have had a bad day or was in a hurry (things like that happen to all of us). I prayed and asked the Lord to take away the negative feeling I was experiencing. At that moment the Lord brought the fruits of the Spirit to my mind. I immediately looked them up and printed them. I think everything happens for a reason, so I decided to go with it. On that day I had to send many emails to people I didn't know. Our daughter attends school out of our district so every year I have to email people in both school districts to get her released from one and accepted to the other. It's quite the task of calls and messages. Anyway, I made sure each email had a positive greeting and a sincere closure.
Fast forward to today; I was reading in my Sunday school booklet and the subject of greetings were mentioned. John wrote in Revelation 1:4-5 "Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." I learned that the greeting grace and peace was common in the letter's of John's day. Wow, what two powerful and wonderful words to use in greeting someone. True grace and peace can only come from God. What an awesome reminder to me. Isn't God so good? In our fast paced world taking time to be courteous is a valuable attribute to practice. Goodness knows I've learned my lesson. Does that mean I'll never mess up? No, but I have been reminded to make an effort.
I know that I am not as friendly as I used to be (insert sad face). Yep, it is true. I find myself moody at times and wonder if it has to do with my age, being pre-menopausal, or my hearing loss (which is often frustrating). Whatever the reason this little incident, which is really just a little incident, has opened my eyes anew to the Fruits of the Spirit. I have been challenged to strive harder to live those characteristics out. I am going to work on my attitude and being kinder and gentler. I know we live in a different world, but good manners never go out of style. I pray that I will learn Galatians 5:22 and live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.
Blessings !!!
