Go West Young Man (Or Woman)

“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 5:22-23 (NIV)

  (Annual family beach trip 2016)

As you read this today, my family will be heading West. Reed talked us into one last family vacation before he and Brighton get married this fall. I love to travel and explore new sites, so it was an easy sell for me. Jase is sort of a home-body, so I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. However, where there is golf, there is a way!

Yes, Jase and the boys get to play golf. But the main attraction will be the Grand Canyon and another large national park. Again, I was thrilled to learn about visiting these gorgeous places, intricately designed by God. Reed found where there is an incredibly beautiful waterfall nestled inside a canyon between gigantic rocks. He showed me a picture, and immediately I agreed. The picture was breathtaking! He forgot to mention at that initial conversation that it was ten miles into this canyon and that you can only reach it on foot. Yes, on foot!

Okay, back up for a second. To me, a vacation means sand between my toes, splashing in the waves of the gulf or ocean, lounging horizontal on a chaise reading a good book (or three) for a week. It does not mean hiking 10 miles one way in rugged terrain. But…the fact that my grown and almost-grown children want to do this together…with their parents? How can I say no?

So, I decided we had better make this a spiritual journey as well as a physical one.

We’ve decided to take the fruits of the Spirit that Paul talks about in Galatians and put them to use in very practical and tangible ways every day this week. Some will be easy to do, and some will be more difficult. (I’m secretly hoping the fruit of patience doesn’t fall on the 10-mile hike day as it may taste a bit bitter for me!)

Have you found it quite a bit easier to administer those fruits to people who you aren’t around all day long? It’s usually not a challenge to show them at church on Sunday mornings or at your child’s Open House night at school. It may be a tad more difficult to practice these fruits with your co-workers, students or patients on a daily basis. But who knows you best? That’s right. Our family knows us better than anybody else does. Yikes! Would your family members be able to check off each one of the fruits of the Spirit as evident characteristics in your life?

Challenge: Take each day this week and try to show each fruit to your family members in a hands-on, verbal and physical way. My family will be taking the challenge with you!

Today is LOVE and JOY!

I LOVE my family and I will see the JOY today in traveling with them for hours on planes and in cars to a place I’ve never been before and know completely nothing about. Woohoo!

Perspective.

Have a fruitful week!